John Pope was a major general in the United States Army during the Civil War. He is best known for his disastrous performance in the Second Battle of Bull Run in 1862.
Pope was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1822. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842. He served in the Mexican-American War and was promoted to captain in 1847.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Pope was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He served as a brigade commander at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. He was promoted to major general in 1862.
In July 1862, Pope was given command of the Army of Virginia. He was ordered to move his army south and threaten Richmond, the Confederate capital. Pope's army was defeated by Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 29-30, 1862.
Pope's defeat at Second Bull Run was one of the worst defeats of the Civil War. He was relieved of command and never held a field command again. He served in various administrative roles until the end of the war.
After the war, Pope served as governor of the Territory of New Mexico from 1867 to 1869. He died in 1892.