Key Facts
- Duration
- 7 days (June 25 – July 1, 1862)
- Union casualties
- ~16,000
- Confederate casualties
- over 20,000
- Number of engagements
- 7 battles
- Union final position
- Harrison's Landing on the James River
Strategic Narrative Overview
Lee attacked at Beaver Dam Creek on June 26, then struck again at Gaines's Mill on June 27, forcing McClellan into retreat. Minor engagements at Garnett's and Golding's Farm and a rear-guard action at Savage's Station followed. At Glendale on June 30, Lee nearly cut off the retreating Union column, but poor coordination and delays by Stonewall Jackson allowed McClellan's army to escape to the fortified heights of Malvern Hill.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1862, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan had advanced his Army of the Potomac up the Virginia Peninsula to within miles of Richmond, the Confederate capital. Confederate General Robert E. Lee, newly in command of the Army of Northern Virginia, sought to seize the initiative and drive McClellan's forces away before they could besiege the city, launching a series of aggressive attacks beginning June 25, 1862.
03 / The Outcome
At Malvern Hill on July 1, Lee's frontal assaults were repulsed with severe Confederate losses against strong Union infantry and artillery positions. McClellan's army reached the safety of Harrison's Landing on the James River. Convinced McClellan posed no further threat to Richmond, Lee shifted forces northward, launching the northern Virginia and Maryland campaigns.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson.
Side B
1 belligerent
George B. McClellan.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.