The end of Union General George B.
McClellan’s “Peninsula Campaign” in the summer of 1862 was brought about by a
number of engagements called the “Seven Days’ Battles”. A series of events, on
both the Union and Confederate sides, proceeded this decisive week of fighting.
McClellan had landed his 100,000
soldiers at Fort Monroe in the Spring and fought his way up the Virginia Peninsula to the
outskirts of the Confederates’ Capitol – Richmond. By early June, his army was close enough to
the city to hear the church bells tolling in the steeples every day. He seemed
poised to take the city and hopefully end the Civil War. Then a blessing
in disguise happened for the Rebels. Their General in charge, Joseph E.
Johnston, was wounded in the Battle of Seven Pines, just east of Richmond, and
was replaced by Robert E. Lee.
Lee, taking control of the Army of
Northern Virginia, took a different tactic than Johnston in his attempt to
defend Richmond and push McClellan out of the area. Lee immediately began to
construct earthen fortifications encircling Richmond. His intent was that with
these fortifications, Lee could defend Richmond with a minimal number of troops
and, with pulling “Stonewall” Jackson’s Corps from the Shenandoah Valley, he
would be nearer the same size Army as McClellan had. He could then go on the
offensive.
Jackson’s success in various battles
in “The Valley” secured that portion of Virginia and allowed Jackson to move
toward Richmond to assist Lee. As Jackson’s troops arrived on June 26, both by
rail and on foot, Lee added his troops and attacked the Union at Beaver Dam
Creek. Interestingly, though Lee could not defeat the Union Army here,
McClellan retreated and continued his run to eventually get to Harrison’s
Landing on the James River.
Following this unsuccessful conflict, the
Rebels pursued the Union Army and, again, fought a major battle at Gaines’ Mill
the next day. This time the Confederates were able to break through the Yankee
lines, led by troops from Texas and Georgia. By nightfall, both sides
contributed to over 15,000 casualties in some of the heaviest fighting during
the Seven Days’ Battles.
Pursuing the retreating Union Army,
Lee attacked the Yankee rear guard at Savage’s Station on the 29th
of June. Confusion reigned supreme this day as Lee’s orders were misunderstood
and therefore not carried out properly. Likewise, McClellan, who was far ahead
of his troops in their retreat, left no one in charge of the army guarding the
rear. This, too, added to the confusion. By nightfall, this battle ended in a
stalemate.
From here, the fighting continued at
Frayser’s Farm, also known as Glendale.
On June 30 as Lee’s Army attacked the Union rear that was protecting a
vital crossroads, McClellan continued his flight south toward the James River
and away from his initial goal of Richmond. Once again the Confederates were
not able to carry the day and the Union forces were able to regroup at Malvern
Hill, just a short distance south.
At Malvern Hill the Union Army,
although it did not dig in, was able to form a formidable defensive line
composed of both artillery and infantry on the ridge top. Thus, as they
possessed the better field position, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac just
waited for the Rebels to attack. And attack they did. Lee believed that if his artillery could
render McClellan’s artillery useless, the Rebel infantry would surely whip the
Union infantry. This never happened. The Union artillery controlled the battle
and controlled the day. After a series of attempted bombardments, the Southern
Army attacked. On the Union left, the Southerners had to traverse a quarter
mile open field, sloping upward toward the Army of the Potomac. This bore no
success for the Rebels as the brigades were mowed down by the Union cannon. On
the Union right, the Rebels had to deal with a swampy front in order to attack
the Union lines. This, too, failed. As it turned out, very few Union infantry
was used in this battle, although there were thousands held in reserve. The
Union line was composed of mostly artillery supported by infantry. They would
charge periodically to fire a few volleys at the oncoming Rebels, and then
return to the cover of the cannon. This
battle ended as the previous ones, due to darkness. The casualty count for the
Confederates was a bit more than 5,000, while the Union incurred around 3,000
killed or wounded. 
This ended the “Seven Days’ Battles”
– five major conflicts with a number of smaller encounters, all within seven
days. McClellan was able to retreat to Harrison Landing on the James River
using the Berkeley Plantation as his headquarters, troop encampment, and hospital
(see previous blog). He also used the Shirley Plantation grounds, a neighboring
plantation, as a hospital (see previous blog). And Lee accomplished most of his
objective – to drive the Yankees from the doorstep of his Capitol, Richmond. He
also wanted to destroy the Army of the Potomac, but did not succeed.
On my tour of these sites, it was a
bit disappointing. Starting with Beaver Dam Creek, there was a little bit to
see. A portion of the creek area was accessible, but not much else. The old
road that the Union marched in their retreat was identified as was their battle
line. Gaines’ Mill was interesting, although like other battle sites, the tree
growth over the last 150 years greatly alters the battlefield. It is always
difficult to know which tree area was in existence at the time of the battle,
and which tree area is “new”. At both
Savage’s Station and Frayser’s Farm, there were interpretive signs but not much
else. Malvern Hill is the gem of this week of conflict. It is nearly as it was
on July 1, 1862. There are cannon to identify both Confederate and Federal
cannon positions. A 1-1/2 mile walking trail loops behind the Confederate
lines, giving a great visual of what they were facing with their numerous
unsuccessful infantry charges. A ravine the Confederates hid in until it was
time to charge is also identified. The trail starts behind the Union cannon and
to see from that vantage point is also very interesting. It is looking down a
sloped hill across a completely open field. Walking this trail and reading the interpretive
signs gave me a real feel and understanding of what these soldiers experienced
on this battlefield. The Rebels never had a chance. 
