After the battle of Bull Run the Union army was broken up and
unorganized. General George B. McClellan was called to Washington to
take charge of the army, and in the beginning days of 1862 he found
himself in command of 200,000 men. He set about to organize this army
and fit them for service. Presently public opinion grew restless, and
the North became tired of "All's Quiet Along the Potomac."
About the middle of March McClellan moved a large portion of his army
on transports down the Potomac to Fortress Monroe. On April 5th he
moved up the Peninsula toward Richmond. He met with a Confederate force
under General Magruder near Yorktown, who fell back on Williamsburg as
the Union army advanced. At Williamsburg he met a large Confederate
force under General J. E. B. Stuart, D. H. Hill and Jubal Early. The
Confederates were finally dislodged and forced to retreat by the
advance divisions of McClellan's army under Hooker, Kearny and Hancock,
who occupied Williamsburg.
The Union army continued their march, and on May 16th reached White
House, the ancestral home of the Lees, which is twenty-four miles from
Richmond. On every side were fields of grain, and were it not for the
presence of 100,000 men, there was the promise of a full harvest.
Great confusion reigned at the Confederate capital on hearing of the
advance of McClellan's army. The Confederate army, known as the Army
of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston,
was arrayed against McClellan's army, known as the Army of the Potomac.
And thus was arrayed against each other two of the greatest and best
equipped armies that had ever confronted each other on the field of
battle. It was now imminent that this would be the beginning of a
series of battles between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of
Northern Virginia, ending three years thereafter at Appomattox, where
the veterans in gray layed down their arms, in honor, to those in blue.
Between these two armies lay the Chickahominy River, which at this time
was overflowing its banks on account of recent heavy rains. McClellan
ordered his army forward May 20th, and a large division under General
Naglee succeeded in crossing the river, and took up a position on the
south side of the stream. General McClellan, however, was expecting to
be reënforced by McDowell from Fredericksburg with 40,000 men.
General Johnston, discovering the divided condition of McClellan's
army, believed that the time had arrived to give battle. At this time
"Stonewall" Jackson, with his army, was in the Valley of Virginia, and
was seriously threatening Washington. The authorities at Washington
deemed it necessary to recall McDowell and thus prevent him from
reënforcing McClellan, which proved to be a very serious disappointment
to him. McClellan ordered two divisions of his army to advance. One,
commanded by General Casey, stationed itself at Fair Oaks farm, and the
other, under General Couch, entrenched itself at the cross-roads near
Seven Pines, which derives its name from a clump of pine trees, from
which the battle fought here derives its name.
No sooner had these positions been taken than they began to entrench
themselves and throw out their picket lines, for the advance division
of the Confederates could plainly be seen through the timber lines.
On May 30th Johnston gave orders for his army to be ready to advance
at daybreak, but during the night a very heavy rain fell and delayed
operations until late in the morning of May 31st. About nine o'clock,
however, the forces of Longstreet and Hill were ready to move, and
advanced rapidly through the woods on the outlying division of the
Federals, who made a stubborn defense, driving back the Confederates
time after time at the point of the bayonet, and the last time pressing
them back to the woods. Here they were met by a furious musketry fire
by fresh men from Longstreet's division or infantry. They quickly gave
way, and retreated in confusion back to their entrenchments near Fair
Oaks farm. Here the Federals took a stubborn stand, but were presently
dislodged with great slaughter by an enfilading fire from the brigades
of Rains and Rhodes, who had come up on each side.
The Federals fell back to Seven Pines, where Couch's division was
stationed. Their situation was growing critical, although they were
making a determined stand and had been reënforced by Heintzelman's
division. In the meantime Hill had been reënforced by a brigade of
Longstreet's division and was making a fierce attack on the Federals.
The Confederates were further reënforced by the division of General
G. W. Smith. The battle raged furiously until late in the evening,
when the Federals fell back a distance of about two miles within their
entrenchments along the river.
While this battle was being fought, another at Fair Oaks Station, only
a short distance away, was also being fought, in which General Joseph
E. Johnston was seriously wounded by a bursting shell, and was carried
from the field. He was succeeded in command by General Robert E. Lee,
who was afterwards made the commander in chief of all the Southern
forces, although the immediate command fell upon G. W. Smith.
Early Sunday morning, June 1st, the battle was renewed and the attack
was again made by the Confederates, led by General Smith, supported
by Longstreet, but they were pushed back with great slaughter. The
Union lines were also broken and a brief lull ensued. Both sides were
gathering themselves for another onslaught. Presently the Federals were
reënforced by the division of General Hooker. They marched upon the
field in double quick time, and were met by a withering artillery fire.
Both attacking divisions were ordered forward with fixed bayonets. The
Confederates finally gave way and fell back toward Richmond, and the
Federals again withdrew to their entrenchment along the river.
It is thought by many that McClellan's failure to follow up the
Confederates proved to be the final failure of his Peninsula campaign,
for it gave the Confederates time to readjust their army under their
new commander.
The forest paths were strewn with the dead and dying. Many of the
wounded were compelled to lie in the hot sun for hours before help
could reach them. Many of the Federal wounded were placed upon cars and
taken across the Chickahominy. The Confederate wounded were carried to
Richmond, which was only seven miles away. And many of the Confederate
dead at Seven Pines were buried in the Holly Wood cemetery at Richmond,
where there are 16,000 Confederate dead. At Oak Wood cemetery, which is
near by, there is another 16,000, which makes 32,000 buried at Richmond.
At this time the defense of Washington was giving McClellan, as
well as other Federal authorities, considerable concern, for Jackson
with his army had previously taken possession of Winchester and was
advancing down the valley. The Federals opposed to Jackson were
commanded by Generals Shields and Banks. Jackson made an attack on
Shields' army at Kernstown and drove the Federals back, but presently
fell back to wait reënforcements under Ewell. The Federals were
reënforced by General Fremont. Jackson's activity in the valley
caused the president to fear that his goal was Washington. The two
armies fought a series of battles in the valley, namely: Front
Royal, Strausburg, Newtown and Port Republic, the last-named being
the far more important and destructive to life. These were a series
of victories for Jackson, for he drove the Federals from place to
place, and 3,000 of Banks' men fell into his hands as prisoners. Banks
retreated across the Potomac and Jackson joined Lee before Richmond.
Jackson's activity and strategy in the movement of his army surprised
both the North and the South. Banks reported to the government at
Washington that "Jackson aimed at nothing less than the capture of our
entire force."