Seven-day battle
| date | June 25 to July 1, 1862 |
|---|---|
| place | Hanover and Henrico Counties , Virginia , USA |
| output | Confederation victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
|
105,445
|
90,000
|
| losses | |
|
15,849
|
20,614
|
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The seven-day battle was the culmination of the peninsula campaign during the American Civil War . It was not a single battle, but rather a succession of six major battles between June 25 and July 1, 1862.
prehistory
In March 1862, Major General George B. McClellan launched the Peninsula Campaign. The aim of the company was to take Richmond , the capital of the Confederation, and thus to end the war. The Potomac Army under McClellan landed in Fort Monroe at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula. Slowly the army moved across the peninsula, and there were repeated clashes with General Joseph E. Johnston's Northern Virginia Army , which constantly ducked in the direction of Richmond.
Six miles from Richmond, the Battle of Seven Pines or "Fair Oakes" in Union parlance took place. The battle ended in a draw, but brought about a turning point that was important for the further course of the war - the cautious Johnston was badly wounded and replaced by the more aggressive General Robert E. Lee . While Lee extended Richmond's defensive lines and reorganized the Northern Virginia Army for a month, McClellan waited for his siege guns to effectively support his attack on Richmond.
The Battle of Oak Grove
The unsuccessful Battle of Oak Grove was opened by the Union with the aim of occupying the road to Williamsburg in order to position the guns. The attack, carried out over swampy terrain, was unsuccessful and in the evening both sides stopped fighting. Oak Grove was the first encounter between the Potomac Army and the Northern Virginia Army during the "Seven Days," and the Union's last offensive action during the Peninsula Campaign. The following morning Robert E. Lee began his attack.
The first day
The battle of Mechanicsville, or Beaver Dam Creek, began on the morning of June 26, 1862. The divisions of Maj. Gen. Longstreet , AP Hill and DH Hill were to be frontal, Jackson's three divisions should be on the north flank of the Union, Maj. Gen. Fitz J. Porter's V Corps, attack. Meanwhile, General Magruder launched a mock attack on the Union's southern flank. But Jackson didn't attack. AP Hill ordered his 'light division' to attack at around 3:00 p.m. that afternoon . The Hills division, 16,000 strong, encountered Union troops of equal strength positioned at Beaver Dam Creek. What followed was a heavy Confederate defeat. AP Hill's losses were 1,500 dead, wounded and missing. There were 360 losses on the Union side. Jackson's divisions did not rush to the aid of Hill, even though they were only three miles away. McClellan, who had won a victory, did not go on the offensive, but ordered Porter to move to a strong position at Gaines Mill. Since McClellan suspected that the Confederates were threatening his supply line, he moved his supply base to the south of the peninsula on the James River . Major General Porter's corps was still at Gaines Mill.
The second day
According to Lee's plan, Longstreet was to launch a mock attack on Porter's left flank on June 27, while Jackson was to attack the right flank with four divisions. Major General AP Hills Division should attack again head-on. The plan alone was too complex and Jackson led his attack too slowly, leaving Hill's division practically alone. Individual attacks on Long Street and some of Jackson's troops led to a short-term relief of Hills. In the evening, when Lee's divisions were finally advancing as one group, Brigadier General John Bell Hood and his Texan brigade made the breakthrough. The Union line collapsed, but the rearguard caught the retreating troops and prevented the soldiers from running away. This enabled Porter to get his soldiers and guns across the Chickahominy River. The losses after the six-hour battle were 6,800 on the Union side and 8,700 on the Confederation side . Shiloh had suffered similar losses within two days.
During the first two days only part of the armies on either side had fought. McClellan, who let himself be fooled by Magruder's "theater of war" instead of attacking with his great superiority, apologized in Washington by saying that his army had been attacked by superior forces on both sides of the Chickahomini. Lee, on the other hand, wanted to attack McClellan's flank, so he devised another complicated plan.
The third day
On June 28, there were only sporadic skirmishes between troops on both sides at the Garnetts and Goldings farms, but this reinforced McClellan's conviction that Lee, with a huge army, was on the verge of destroying the Potomac Army.
The fourth day
On June 29th, Confederate troops under Generals Jackson and Magruder were to attack the Union's rearguard south of the Chickahominys at Savage Station. The Union's right flank was to be attacked by Jackson, the left by Magruder. Jackson, still moving slowly, had a bridge over the river repaired so that Magruder's forces had to attack alone. With only half of his division, Magruder presented the attack, which was repulsed by the Union troops. Under cover of night the Union troops evaded to White Oaks and left 2,500 sick and wounded under the care of some field doctors.
The fifth day
On June 30th the Battle of Glendale (White Oak Swamp) broke out. Another, more complicated, plan of Lee's failed. Seven divisions were to advance against the Union troops, again Jackson was stopped at a bridge on White Oak Creek and intervened too late in the battle. In the afternoon, AP Hills and Longstreets divisions attacked parts of five divisions of the Union. The fighting lasted late into the night, the Confederates captured around 1,000 soldiers but lost 3,600 men to death, wounding and imprisonment; the Union lost a total of about 3,700 men in this battle. Major General Holmes's forces attacked the Union's left flank at Turkey Bridge, but were thrown back by the Union gunboat flotilla steaming up the James. McClellan and his troops moved to a strong position on Malvern Hill, three miles south of Glendale.
Thomas J. Jackson came too late with his divisions to ensure the Confederate success. Lee did not give up his goal of cutting off the Potomac army from the James.
The last day
Main article: Battle of Malvern Hill
The Union troops had taken positions on Malvern Hill - a 30 meter higher plateau opposite the open terrain, which rose slowly over 1½ miles. Protected on the flanks by deep ravines, an attack on this position was only possible from the front across the open terrain. Four Union divisions with about 80,000 men and over 100 guns were deployed here. An additional 150 guns were in reserve. Lee ordered a series of attacks, all of which were carried out in an uncoordinated manner. These attacks resulted in 5,300 Confederate casualties for no profit. Despite this Union victory, McClellan continued to evade the James in protecting the gunboats.
Aftermath
The Confederates had averted the Richmond threat with huge losses. Lee had got McClellan to end the Peninsular Campaign, despite the poor coordination of his troops and the improper execution of his plans. McClellan's caution had failed to end the war early by taking Richmond. While the withdrawal of the Union army's morale fell, it rose on the Confederate side. The Potomac Army stayed on James through August. McClellan, on Halleck's orders, sent two corps forward by sea to reinforce Major General John Pope's Virginia Army . On the part of the Confederation there were about 20,614 casualties, the Union lost about 15,849 men.
literature
- United States. War Dept .: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies . Govt. Print. Off., Washington 1880-1901. Vol. XI, Part II, pp. 489–498 ( General Lee's report )
- Stephen W. Sears: To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign . New York, 1992.
