A Hint of Total War

A Hint of Total War. "Pope Must be Suppressed" — Gen. Robert E. Lee. , In July 1862, Gen. John Pope brought the first hint of "total war", in a mild form by later standards, to Rappahannock County residents. This new Union policy, designed to inflict intense pain on civilians who supported the Southern cause, was particularly acute in Sperryville. Two of Pope's infamous orders summarized the approach. In General Order No. 5, issued on July 17, Pope announced that "as far as practicable, the troops of this command will subsist upon the country. … Vouchers will be given to the owners … [provided] that such owners have been loyal citizens of the United States." On July 23, in General Order No. 11, Pope declared that "If any person, having taken the oath of allegiance [to the United States], be found to have violated it, he shall be shot, and his property seized and applied to the public use."

Pope's orders echoed provisions in the Second Confiscation Act of July 17, 1862, which President Abraham Lincoln supported and promulgated. According to the Act, if any person was "engaged in armed rebellion against the Government of the United States, … all the estate and property, moneys, stock, and credits of such person shall be liable to seizure." The "property" mentioned included slaves, making the Confiscation Act one of the steps that led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Many senior Union officers opposed the Act, believing that it and Pope's orders would reduce discipline among the troops. Not surprisingly, ordinary soldiers enthusiastically supported the policies. Members of Gen. Franz Sigel's Corps, camped at Sperryville, were especially vigorous in helping themselves to livestock, produce, and personal property from local farm. Although Pope would later issue more temperate orders, the hard hand of war now applied to civilians.

"The confiscation bill [and] orders from Gen. Pope, … please the soldiers exceedingly." , , George Breck, 1st New York Light Artillery, Washington, Va., letter to Rochester Union Advertiser, July 31, 1862

, On the night of July 16, 1862, two soldiers and a black servant of the 1st New York Light Artillery entered a house near Sperryville and raped a slave. The perpetrators were quickly apprehended, tried, and found guilty. Justice was not color-blind, however. The The black servant received five years at hard labor versus two for the whites.