Overview
The Battle of Gaines’ Mill took place on June 27, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days Battles. By late May, George B. McClellan and the Army of the Potomac had advanced to the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. After the Battle of Seven Pines (May 31–June 1, 1862), Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia and used McClellan’s inactivity to reorganize his forces and prepare an offensive.
On June 25, Confederate forces stopped McClellan’s advance at the Battle of Oak Grove. The next day, June 26, Lee attacked Fitz John Porter’s 5th Corps north of the Chickahominy River at the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek. Although Union forces won this battle, McClellan ordered Porter to withdraw because he was concerned that “Stonewall” Jackson might threaten his right flank.
During the night of June 26–27, Porter established a strong defensive line on high ground behind Boatswain’s Creek near Gaines’ Mill. On June 27, Lee renewed his attack. A.P. Hill encountered Porter’s defenses and attacked the Union center at about 2:30 p.m. without Jackson, who arrived late after taking a wrong turn. Hill’s unsuccessful attack lasted about two hours and caused roughly 2,000 Confederate casualties.
Confederate reinforcements arrived during the afternoon, but communication problems prevented Lee from coordinating his forces effectively. By sunset, however, Lee had assembled his commanders. At 7:00 p.m., more than 32,000 Confederate soldiers attacked across a two-mile front. After fierce fighting, John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade broke through Porter’s line, forcing Union troops toward the Chickahominy River.
Darkness prevented the Confederates from destroying Porter’s corps. Porter moved much of his command across the river during the night and burned the bridges early on June 28. Lee won the battle, and the defeat convinced McClellan to abandon his plans against Richmond and withdraw toward the James River.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: First Battle of Cold Harbor, Battle of Chickahominy River.
- Date: June 27, 1862.
- Location: Hanover County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George B. McClellan, Fitz John Porter.
- CSA Commanders: Robert E. Lee.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of Gaines’ Mill.
- Campaign:
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1862.
Key Details
- The Battle of Gaines’ 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 Confederate 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.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 6,837, including 894 killed, 3,107 wounded, and 2,836 missing or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 34,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 7,993, including 1,483 killed, 6,402 wounded, and 108 missing or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 57,000.
Significance
The Battle of Gaines’ Mill is important to American History because it was Robert E. Lee’s first major Civil War victory and the largest engagement of the Seven Days Battles. Lee’s last assault involved more than 32,000 Confederate soldiers and broke Fitz John Porter’s defensive line, forcing Union forces across the Chickahominy River. More importantly, the victory convinced George B. McClellan to abandon his plans for Richmond, Virginia, and withdraw his army south toward the James River. By the end of the week, the Confederate capital was no longer in danger, boosting Confederate morale.
History
On March 17, 1862, Union General George B. McClellan launched his Peninsula Campaign. After transporting the Army of the Potomac by ships to the Virginia peninsula between the York and James Rivers, McClellan planned to advance on Richmond and bring the American Civil War to a quick conclusion. By late May, the Federals had fought their way to the outskirts of the Confederate capital.
Battle of Seven Pines
On May 31, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston struck back at the Battle of Seven Pines. Two days of hard fighting rendered a tactical draw and high casualties on both sides. The aftermath of the engagement, however, produced two important strategic developments. First, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after Johnston suffered a severe wound during the fighting. Second, the high casualty rate convinced McClellan to target Richmond rather than risk costly assaults against the Confederate defenses around the capital.
Reprieve for Lee
For nearly a month, McClellan sat idly, developing plans for a siege. The unexpected reprieve presented Lee with an opportunity to organize his command and to plan an offensive designed to drive the Union army away from Richmond. Toward the end of June, McClellan developed a renewed sense of urgency when he learned that Major General Stonewall Jackson was moving to reinforce Lee after concluding his highly successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
Battle of Oak Grove
On June 25, at the Battle of Oak Grove, Confederate forces repulsed McClellan’s attempt to advance his siege artillery approximately one and one-half miles closer to the capital so he could “shell the city and take it by assault.”
Battle of Beaver Dam Creek
On the next day, Lee seized the initiative. Leaving only two divisions to protect Richmond from the bulk of McClellan’s army (four corps positioned south of the Chickahominy River), Lee attacked Brigadier General Fitz John Porter’s 5th Corps, which was isolated north of the river. Lee planned to defeat Porter’s corps, which formed the right (northern) wing of the Federal army, and then to sever McClellan’s supply line, the York and Richmond Railroad.
Events did not unfold as Lee had planned, and the Northerners rebuffed the Confederates at the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek. Nonetheless, the specter of Jackson on his right flank prompted McClellan to move his supply center to the James River, handing Lee what the Southerner failed to achieve on the battlefield. Despite the Federal victory, McClellan ordered Porter to abandon his entrenchments at Beaver Dam Creek during the night and to fall back to higher ground as the arduous task of shifting the Union supply center began.
Federals Deploy Near Gaines’ Mill
During the night of June 26–27, Porter deployed his troops in an arc 1.5 miles long southeast of a mill owned by Dr. William F. Gaines. Porter’s new line on high ground behind Boatswain’s Creek, with the Chickahominy River to his back, was protected by a thick growth and offered an excellent field of fire for repelling enemy assaults.
Lee Moves Against Porter
Still hoping to crush Porter’s army before it could cross the Chickahominy, Lee continued his assault on June 27. His plan was similar to the one that failed the day before, sending two divisions commanded by A. P. Hill and James Longstreet against the Union center, while Stonewall Jackson and D.H. Hill tried to flank Porter on the right and then hit the Northerner from the rear.
Costly Confederate Attack
The action got underway early in the morning when A. P. Hill’s division moved across Beaver Dam Creek with little resistance. Expecting to be pursuing an army in retreat, Hill instead encountered Porter’s stout new line. Jackson, meanwhile, had taken a wrong turn and for the second time in two days was late to the battlefield. Like the day before, Hill waited until 2:30 and then launched a futile attack against the Union center that lasted two hours and produced two thousand casualties.
Confederate Reinforcements
At approximately 3:30 p.m. Major General Richard Ewell’s division was the first of Jackson’s command to approach the Union lines. Lee ordered Ewell to attack immediately before his entire division arrived. Lee also ordered D.H. Hill and Longstreet to join in what became a series of disjointed assaults. By 4:30, Jackson’s full division arrived, but communication problems delayed its deployment.
Federal Line Crumbles
By sunset, Lee finally had all of his generals in place. At 7 p.m. he ordered a massive charge covering a two-mile front. Over 32,000 Confederate soldiers stormed the Federals in the largest single assault of the war. Porter’s men held on gamely, but following some of the more brutal fighting of the Civil War, Brigadier-General John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade broke through on Longstreet’s front. The Federal line then began to crumble, and the Federals began to fall back toward the Chickahominy River. As the Confederates pursued, Union Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke, the father-in-law of Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart, ordered a foolhardy cavalry charge that sacrificed nearly an entire Federal regiment and achieved nothing.
Saved by Darkness
Although Porter’s line broke, the onset of darkness saved his corps from total destruction. Confederates took many of Porter’s spent and dazed men prisoner, but the Union general got much of his command across the Chickahominy River during the night. At roughly 4 a.m. on June 28, Porter burned the bridges spanning the river, leaving Lee’s pursuers on the opposite side.
Outcome
Although Lee failed to destroy Porter’s corps as he had hoped, the Battle of Gaines’ Mill was a significant tactical, strategic, and psychological victory for the Confederacy. Although the Confederates suffered more casualties (7,993 men, including 1,483 killed, 6,402 wounded, 108 missing or captured), compared with Union losses (6,837 soldiers, including 894 killed, 3,107 wounded, 2,836 missing or captured), Lee won the field and forced Porter to retreat across the Chickahominy.
More importantly, the Confederate victory caused McClellan to lose his nerve and suspend his plans to target Richmond. Although he refused to refer to it as a retreat, McClellan ordered the four corps that he had poised at the doors of the Confederate capital to withdraw south. By the end of the week, Richmond was no longer in danger, and new life had been breathed into Confederate hopes.
Timeline
- 1861, July 21 — Confederate forces won the First Battle of Bull Run.
- 1862, March 8–9 — Union and Confederate ironclads fought the inconclusive Battle of Hampton Roads.
- 1862, March 17 — General George B. McClellan launched the Peninsula Campaign with an amphibious landing near Fort Monroe.
- 1862, April 2 — McClellan arrived at Fort Monroe.
- 1862, April 5–May 4 — Union forces won the Siege of Yorktown.
- 1862, May 5 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Williamsburg.
- 1862, May 15 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff.
- 1862, May 31–June 1 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Seven Pines.
- 1862, June 25 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Oak Grove.
- 1862, June 26 — Union forces won the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek.
- 1862, June 27
- Fitz John Porter established a defensive line behind Boatswain’s Creek near Gaines’ Mill.
- A.P. Hill attacked the Union center after Stonewall Jackson arrived late to the battlefield.
- Confederate reinforcements arrived during the afternoon, but communication problems delayed their deployment.
- Lee ordered more than 32,000 Confederate soldiers to attack the Union position at 7:00 p.m.
- John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade broke through the Union line, forcing Porter’s troops toward the Chickahominy River.
- 1862, June 28 — Porter burned the bridges across the Chickahominy River at roughly 4 a.m. after moving much of his command across the river.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Gaines’ Mill (1862) — The Battle of Gaines’ Mill was fought in Hanover County, Virginia, on June 27, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days Battles and resulted in a Confederate victory. Fitz John Porter established a strong defensive position behind Boatswain’s Creek, where Union troops repulsed several Confederate attacks. Delays by “Stonewall” Jackson contributed to poorly coordinated assaults, but Robert E. Lee eventually assembled his forces for a massive attack. John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade broke through the Union line, forcing Porter to retreat across the Chickahominy River.
Alignment
The Battle of Gaines’ Mill is part of the following AP US History sections:
