Second Manassas Campaign--Strategic Rappahannock River Crossings

A mile northwest stood Waterloo Bridge, where on 22 Aug. 1862 Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart crossed the Rappahannock River to threaten the rear of Union Maj. Gen. John Pope's army 14 miles southeast at Catlett Station on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. Pope's men guarded several downstream crossings, including Fauquier White Sulphur Springs (3 miles south), Freeman's Ford, Beverly's Ford, Rappahannock Bridge, Norman's Ford, and Kelly's Ford (16 miles). Gen. Robert E. Lee sent Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson sweeping north and east around the Federals. The maneuver ended in the Second Battle of Manassas on 29-30 Aug.