On 26 June 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. John Pope to command the Union army that operated in Virginia. The Corps led by Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel, who had recently replaced Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont, posted around Sperryville, was consolidated with those of Maj. Gens. Nathaniel P. Banks and Irvin McDowell under Pope and named the Army of Virginia. Pope led the army through the Union defeat at the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on 30 Aug. 1862. He was relieved his command on 2 Sept., and the Army of Virginia was absorbed into Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Error: Note that the last sentence of the marker is incorrect, and should read: He was relieved of his command on 2 Sept., and the Army of Virginia was absorbed into Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac.