“I don’t care for John Pope one pinch of owl dung!”
In a profanity-filled army, General Samuel Sturgis (above) unleashed one of the strangest sounding combinations of insults to the railroad superintendent Herman Haupt (below).
Certain quotes are ideally suited to the era in which they were spoken and couldn't be more effective in conveying their message. These quotes stand out because of their unique phrasing and the use of imagery that transports the listener to the moment they are spoken. In this article, we will be featuring a renowned quote from General Samuel D. Sturgis: "I don't care for John Pope one pinch of owl dung!" This quote has been a part of Civil War history lore for a century, but the origin of this quote and how it spread throughout Civil War literature is less widely known.The quote originates in August 1862, after Lee's army successfully moved to isolate all communications with John Pope's Army of Virginia. At the time, Federal authorities knew that parts of the Rebel army were at Manassas Junction's railroad line, leaving Pope's army without enough food and supplies. Colonel Herman Haupt, the superintendent of military railroads, was in Alexandria, Virginia, and there was concern that Lee's army had positioned itself between Pope's army and the capital.The tension between Colonel Haupt and General Sturgis started when a conductor informed Haupt that four trains loaded with the wounded were delayed outside of town. General Sturgis had stopped the trains by force and demanded that his division of men be given transportation to the front. Colonel Haupt refused the order, claiming complete control of railroad matters by general-in-chief Henry Halleck. Despite General Sturgis outranking him, Colonel Haupt had authority over rail transportation. Colonel Haupt needed a gentle approach to deal with the situation. He arrived at the general’s headquarters after midnight to find General Sturgis and his staff armed and ready.
The Superintendent of Railroads Herman Haupt
“Well, I am glad you have come, for I have just sent a guard to your office to put you in arrest for disobedience of my orders in failing to transport my command,” General Sturgis said.Haupt cautioned the general that his position was unstable. The surgeons, who were transporting the wounded in ambulances, were waiting for them. The engines were about to run out of wood and water. Moreover, General Pope was unwilling to tolerate any delays in the deployment of troops.With the mention of General Pope’s name, Sturgis exclaimed excitedly. “I don’t care for John Pope an inch of owl dung!”A dispatch was handed to the general, confirming his lack of standing. From General Halleck’s hand: “No military officer has any authority to interfere with your control of the railroads. Show this to General Sturgis, and if he attempts to interfere, I will arrest him.” 
A self confident army officer from the West, John Pope ruffeled many Eastern army officer's feathers with his boastfulnes of quick victories.
General Sturgis was in a lather and seemed to misread the orders, still obsessing over John Pope. He repeated the same well-rehearsed refrain several times as if in an endless loop in his mind: “I don’t care for John Pope a pinch.”
The general's staff redirected the now fully discombobulated general, informing him that General Halleck, not General Pope, was threatening him with arrest.
"Who do you say, General Halleck? Yes, I respect his authority. What does he say?"
"He says if you interfere with the railroads, he will put you under arrest.
“He does, does he? Well, then, take your damned railroad!”
And from that short interview, an insult of the ages.
Herman Haupt, promoted to brigadier general in September 1862, remembered the incident 35 years later and included it in his 1901 memoir, Reminiscences of General Herman Haupt. The quote remained relatively unknown for almost forty years until Carl Sandburg included it in his book, The War Years, published in 1939. Although Haupt did not comment on General Sturgis's sobriety, Sandburg suggested that the general was "slightly drunk." Margaret Leech included the reference two years later in her excellent book Reveille in Washington 1862 – 1865. In 1951, Bruce Catton included the anecdote in length in his first book of his Army of the Potomac trilogy, Mr. Lincoln's Army, but changed the location of the conversation to Haupt's office instead of Sturgis’ headquarters. He also claimed that Sturgis was "elevated with liquor." Harry T. Williams, in Lincoln and his Generals, published in 1952, repeats the now well-worn notion that Sturgis was drunk.
So, there we have it. The quote itself originated during the chaos of those late August days in 1862 when an aggressive general, perhaps or not fueled by liquor, attempted to commandeer rail cars filled with wounded men to get forward to the front as soon as possible. General Sturgis, who, after the war, was luckily on detached service from the 7th cavalry and missed the Battle of Little Big Horn, died in 1889 and is buried at Arlington. Even after his death, his famous quote continues entertaining readers of the Civil War.