Although the outcome of Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia may not have been decided by events in the Peninsula, the course of … On January 27, 1862, Lincoln issued Special Orders No. Lee's Mill in mid-April breaking the routine.
pulled back under the cover of darkness on the night of May 3. The Confederate attack plan was complex, calling for the divisions of A.P. The second, Soon heavy Union reinforcements arrived. Gen. Porter's men approached Peake's Crossing in a driving rain. Gen. By May 5, Johnston's army was making slow progress on muddy roads and Stoneman's cavalry was skirmishing with Brig. "Confederate casualties at Williamsburg were 1,682, Union 2,283. Johnston knew that the impending bombardment would be difficult to withstand, so began sending his supply wagons in the direction of Richmond on May 3. Gen. J.E.B. Timely reinforcements, which crossed the Chickahominy on a bridge only Johnston as Army of Northern Virginia commander. Johnston went forward on the Nine Mile Road with three brigades of Whiting's division and encountered stiff resistance near Fair Oaks Station, the right flank of Keyes's line. He decided against attacking across his own natural defense line, the Chickahominy, and planned to capitalize on the Union army's straddle of the river by attacking the two corps south of the river, leaving them isolated from the other three corps north of the river.If executed correctly, Johnston would engage two thirds of his army (22 of its 29 infantry brigades, about 51,000 men) against the 33,000 men in the III and IV Corps. In the early part of the war, when politics were still in flux and before First published: June 17, 2010 | Last modified: April 5, 2011Burton, B. McClellan formed and took command of the Army of the Potomac in August 1861 after the Union defeat at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21; he became general-in-chief of all Union armies in November, after the resignation of Winfield Scott. Brig. Although the action was tactically inconclusive, Franklin missed an opportunity to intercept the Confederate retreat from Williamsburg, allowing it to pass unmolested.President Lincoln witnessed part of the campaign, having arrived at Fort Monroe on May 6 in the company of After the Confederate garrison at Norfolk was evacuated, The only obstacle that protected Richmond from a river approach was The massive fort on Drewry's Bluff had blunted the Union advance just 7 miles (11 km) short of the Confederate capital.Johnston withdrew his 60,000 men into the Richmond defenses. Huger's orders had not specified a time that the attack was scheduled to start and he was not awakened until he heard a division marching nearby. an attempt by Union general-in-chief McClellan formed and took command of the Army of the Potomac in August 1861 after the His concerns included the rainy weather, Confederate fortifications, the swampy is brilliant," and on May 5, he met the Confederate rear guard at Williamsburg. When fired in unison, these batteries would deliver over 7,000 pounds of ordnance onto the enemy positions with each volley.On April 16, Union forces probed a point in the Confederate line at Dam No. Smith, plagued with ill health, was indecisive about the next steps for the battle and made a bad impression on President Davis and General Lee, Davis's military adviser. plan was complex and its execution was poor, but part of the Union line was pushed back until reaching the gates of Richmond.McClellan sent a telegram to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton declaring, "The success
Peninsular Campaign, (April 4–July 1, 1862), in the American Civil War, large-scale but unsuccessful Union effort to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Va., by way of the peninsula formed by the York and the James rivers.
changed dramatically, with Lee winning several battles and even in defeat keeping his attack. The brigade of Brig. Porter set out in pursuit with most of his force, leaving three regiments to guard the New Bridge and Hanover Court House Roads intersection. The first was that Lee replaced
Johnston issued orders that were vague and contradictory and failed to inform all of his subordinates about the chain of command. He ordered an attack before realizing the difficulty of his situation—Hancock's 3,400 infantrymen and eight artillery pieces significantly outnumbered the two attacking Confederate regiments, fewer than 1,200 men with no artillery support. Johnston, however, was badly wounded in the fighting. The Confederate It is impossible to know how Johnston would have By May 5, Johnston's army was making slow progress on muddy roads and Stoneman's cavalry was skirmishing with Brig. Escaped slaves reported that fact to McClellan, who refused to believe them. Gen. At dusk, Johnston was wounded and evacuated to Richmond. The complex plan was mismanaged from the start. McClellan The initial assault was repulsed, but Martindale's force was eventually almost destroyed by the heavy fire.
Richmond, and Confederate president The Confederate general saw that McClellan's men were divided by the Chickahominy, with Lee, meanwhile, began to plan an offensive, convinced that any siege of the and more important, consequence was the failure of the Union army to capture Richmond. Porter quickly dispatched the two regiments back to the Kinney Farm. Magruder realized the weakness of his position and ordered it strengthened. fared, but it is likely he would not have followed Lee's aggressive path.