Seven Days Battles
On May 31st, 1862, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was hit in the shoulder by a bullet and then by shrapnel from a round that exploded near him. Johnston had been fighting the Union army as it tried to advance toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. Things certainly seemed hopeless for the Confederacy. After losing several battles in the west, and this new Army of the Potomac, commanded by General McClellan, bearing down on the capital, many wondered how much longer the fledgling nation could last. Into this situation stepped General Robert E. Lee, who took command of the Army of Northern Virginia while Johnston was hanging on to life in a hospital bed. While Lee was high ranking and respected by his peers, he had never commanded an army in the field before. As it would turn out, Lee was not only particularly suited to handle such a command, he also knew precisely what he wanted to do with it.
He acted immediately. He knew that his best bet was not in fighting McClellan’s massive army directly, but in attacking its vulnerable supply lines. He would need to separate his forces, leaving some to defend Richmond while the other attacked the railroad through which the Union supplies arrived. On June 25, McClellan launched an attack on the defenses of Richmond. The ensuing battle would be called the Battle of Oak Grove. However, McClellan did not press his attack. This gave Lee the time he needed. On June 26, Lee then planned to continue to bring the fight to the Federals. The fight moved to Beaver Dam Creek, Stonewall Jackson’s unit arrived four hours late and Confederate commander A.P. Hill proceeded with an attack against orders. McClellan, meanwhile, notified of the attack on his right flank, came to believe he was outnumbered, which was far from the truth. He recalled his men from the right flank for the night, while Jackson’s men finally arrived and set up camp for the night.
The next day the fight continued at Gaine’s Mill, where the Union attempted to hold so they could move their supply lines out of Confederate reach. It would be a clear Confederate victory and change the course of the war. After McClellan was defeated, he gave up his plan to march to Richmond. On the night of June 27th, McClellan ordered a complete Union withdrawal. Lee was able to discern that McClellan was headed towards the James River. Brig. General Robert Toombs was ordered to conduct a reconnaissance mission to determine McClellan’s exact intentions. He instead attacked Union forces at Garnett’s Farm and then Golding’s Farm. While Toombs was repulsed on both occasions, the attacks convinced McClellan that he was being attacked from several directions and solidified his resolve to retreat to the James River.
McClellan’s army then concentrated themselves at a place called Savage’s Station, a train depot for the Richmond and York River Railroad. The army was ordered to burn anything they couldn’t carry and the wounded were to be left behind. Morale sank to a new low in the Union camp. McClellan had already left without giving directions for the retreat or naming a second in command. Lee devised a plan in which his army was divided and would attack the retreating Union forces from multiple directions. It was Sunday, June 29th.
What might have resulted in a devastating defeat of the Union forces, instead turned into a bloody stalemate as miscommunication between Lee and Stonewall Jackson led to Jackson not entering into the fight at all. While both sides remained conservative in deploying troops, each had failed to overwhelm their opponents in various battles of the day. Still, casualties were particularly high as the soldiers engaged were caught in heavy fire. By June 30th, a third of McClellan’s army had reached the James River. Lee’s plan to attack the remaining Union forces was bungled once again by poor execution. His generals, Jackson, Huger, and Magruder were slow to act and often seemed confused about what exactly they were doing. When battle was finally engaged by Confederate General James Longstreet, the result was inconclusive. Once again, Lee’s forces had been unable to carry out his orders adequately.
The final battle of the Seven Days was at Malvern Hill, where the Union occupied favorable ground. Once again Lee’s complex plan was executed poorly. Stonewall Jackson’s unit was led away from the battlefield by his guides. The Union artillery decimated the Confederate guns. Lee ordered his men up the hill anyway. Confederate Maj. General D.H. Hill stated, “It wasn’t war, it was murder.” The Confederates suffered heavy losses and the Seven Days Battles had ended. Lee’s goal of stopping McClellan’s advance was completed, but both sides had suffered greatly. The Army of the Potomac was safely across the James River, protected by Union gunboats, while the Army of Northern Virginia returned to Richmond to recuperate.
Works Cited
Burton, Brian K. “Seven Days' Battles.” Encyclopedia Virginia, https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/seven-days-battles/. Accessed 25 November 2022.
“The Seven Days Battles.” American Battlefield Trust, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/seven-days-battles. Accessed 25 November 2022.
“Seven Days' Battles | Summary, Location, Casualties, Significance, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 November 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Seven-Days-Battles. Accessed 25 November 2022.
