Generals McClellan and Joseph E. Johnston were special friends even after the war, and in a conversation with McClellan Johnston remarked "You never know what is in a man until you try to lick him."
[THE BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN]
After the failure of McClellan's Peninsula campaign General John Pope was called from the West to Washington to take charge of the Union forces, and arrived in June, 1862. A new army was made up from the respective divisions of McDowell, Banks and Fremont, which was to be known as the Army of Virginia. General Pope at first refused to take command of this army, for the reason that McDowell, Banks and Fremont were superior officers in rank to himself, but was prevailed upon to take the command, which he did, and in an address to his army he ended with the statement, "My headquarters will be in the saddle." When this was shown to General Lee, he grimly commented, "Perhaps his headquarters will be where his hindquarters ought to be."
Fremont refused to serve under Pope, whom he considered his junior, and resigned. His corps was assigned to General Sigel.
Pope's idea was to draw Lee's army away from following that of McClellan down the peninsula, and advanced from Washington with Gordonsville as his objective point. This place, being at the junction of a railroad, was a base of supplies for the Southern army.
The sagacious Lee had divined his intentions and sent Stonewall Jackson and Ewell to occupy this town. Ewell arrived in advance of Jackson, and held the town. Jackson, coming up later, took full command of the army.
On July 27th, A. P. Hill also joined him with his corps, which brought their strength up to about 25,000 men.
The Union army now occupied that portion of the country around Culpeper Court House. Pope soon found that his brilliant success in the West was not like measuring swords with the Confederate generals in Virginia.