BATTLE OF THOROUGHFARE GAP

The 'Battle of Thoroughfare Gap', also known as 'Chapman's Mill', took place on August 28, 1862, in Fauquier County and Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War.
After skirmishing near Chapman's Mill in Thoroughfare Gap, Brig. Gen. James Ricketts's Union division was flanked by a Confederate column passing through Hopewell Gap several miles to the north and by troops securing the high ground at Thoroughfare Gap. Ricketts retired, and Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's wing of the army marched through the gap to join Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. This seemingly inconsequential action virtually ensured Pope’s defeat during the battles of August 29 and August 30 (Second Battle of Bull Run) because it allowed the two wings of Lee's army to unite on the Manassas battlefield. Ricketts withdrew via Gainesville to Manassas Junction.

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★ National Park Service battle description