Battle of Gaines' Mill Facts

Also Known As

• First Battle of Cold Harbor,
• Battle of Chickahominy River

Date and Location

• June 27, 1862
• Hanover County, Virginia

Campaign

• Peninsula Campaign

Principal Union Commanders

• Major General George B. McClellan
• Brigadier General Fitz John Porter

Principal Confederate Commanders

• General Robert E. Lee

Union Forces Engaged

• Army of the Potomac

Confederate Forces Engaged

• Army of Northern Virginia

Number of Union Soldiers Engaged

• Roughly 34,000

Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged

• Roughly 57,000

Estimated Union Casualties

• 6,837 (894 killed, 3,107 wounded, 2,836 missing or captured)

Estimated Confederate Casualties

• 7,993 (1,483 killed, 6,402 wounded, 108 missing or captured)

Result

• Confederate victory

Significance

• The Battle of Gaines’s Mill was the third engagement of the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign.
• The Battle of Gaines’ Mill was Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s first major victory in the Civil War.
• The Battle of Gaines’ Mill was the largest of the Seven Days Battles.
• The last Confederate assault against Union lines at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill employed 32,000 Rebel soldiers and was the largest of the Civil War.
• The Battle of Gaines’ Mill was the only clear-cut Confederate tactical victory of the Peninsula Campaign.
• Seven Union soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for valor during the Battle of Gaines’ Mill.

Timeline of the Peninsula Campaign

These are the main battles and events of the Peninsula Campaign in order. The battles that occurred from June 25 to July 1, 1862, are collectively known as the Seven Days Battles.

• March 8–9, 1862 — Battle of Hampton Roads
• April 5–May 4, 1862 — Siege of Yorktown
• May 5, 1862 — Battle of Williamsburg
• May 15, 1862 — Battle of Drewry’s Bluff
• May 31–June 1, 1862 — Battle of Seven Pines
• June 25, 1862 — Battle of Oak Grove
• June 26, 1862 — Battle of Beaver Dam Creek
• June 27, 1862 — Battle of Gaines’ Mill
• June 29, 1862 — Battle of Savage’s Station
• June 30, 1862 — Battle of Glendale
• July 1, 1862 — Battle of Malvern Hill