Overview
The Battle of Glendale took place on June 30, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles. After the Battle of Gaines’ Mill (June 27, 1862), Union General George B. McClellan ended his offensive against Richmond, Virginia, and ordered the Army of the Potomac to withdraw toward Union gunboats on the James River. Confederate General Robert E. Lee pursued the retreating army and hoped to destroy it before it reached safety.
By June 30, most of McClellan’s army had crossed White Oak Swamp. However, several roads converged near Glendale, creating a bottleneck. McClellan remained miles away aboard the gunboat Galena, leaving his commanders on the battlefield to organize the defense.
Lee planned a coordinated attack against the Union army. “Stonewall” Jackson was supposed to cross White Oak Swamp and strike the Union right, while Benjamin Huger advanced along the Charles City Road. A.P. Hill and James Longstreet were ordered to attack the Union center, while T.H. Holmes threatened the Federal left.
The plan quickly failed. Union artillery and sharpshooters prevented Jackson’s engineers from rebuilding a bridge, and Jackson never crossed the creek. Felled trees blocked Huger’s route, forcing his soldiers to cut a new road through the woods. His division failed to reach the battlefield in time for the main attack.
With daylight disappearing, Lee ordered Hill and Longstreet to attack without Jackson and Huger. Their troops broke part of the Union line and drove Federal soldiers toward Frayser’s Farm, where fierce hand-to-hand fighting took place. Union reinforcements eventually closed the gap and held the crossroads. On the southern end of the battlefield, Holmes also failed to break the Union position.
The battle ended at nightfall without a clear tactical winner. However, Lee failed to cut off the Army of the Potomac. Union forces continued toward Harrison’s Landing, and the Confederate failure at Glendale set the stage for the Battle of Malvern Hill the following day.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Nelson’s Farm, Battle of Frayser’s Farm, Battle of Charles City Crossroads, Battle of White Oak Swamp, Battle of New Market Road, Battle of Riddell’s Shop.
- Date: June 30, 1862.
- Location: Henrico County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George B. McClellan.
- CSA Commanders: Robert E. Lee.
- Who Won: The Battle of Glendale was inconclusive.
- Campaign:
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1862.
Key Details
- The Battle of Glendale was the fifth engagement of the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign.
- Although Major General George McClellan was nominally the principal Union commander at the Battle of Glendale, he never appeared on the battlefield.
- By failing to capture the intersection at Glendale, the Confederacy lost a golden opportunity to prevent the Army of the Potomac from continuing its retreat toward the safety of Union gunboats on the James River at Harrison’s Landing.
- The Battle of Glendale set the stage for a decisive Union victory the next day at the Battle of Malvern Hill.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 3,787 (297 killed, 1,696 wounded, and 1,804 missing or captured).
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 40,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 3,673 (638 killed, 2,814 wounded, and 221 missing).
- Forces Engaged: Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 45,000.
Significance
The Battle of Glendale is important to American History because it represented one of Robert E. Lee’s best opportunities to destroy the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign. Lee planned a coordinated attack against George B. McClellan’s retreating army, but “Stonewall” Jackson and Benjamin Huger failed to join the main assault as planned. Although Confederate forces under A. P. Hill and James Longstreet broke part of the Union line, Federal reinforcements held the crossroads. By keeping its retreat route open, the Army of the Potomac escaped toward Harrison’s Landing. Lee’s failure at Glendale also set the stage for the Battle of Malvern Hill the following day.
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 and attacked the right flank of McClellan’s forces, which Brigadier General Fitz John Porter commanded north of the Chickahominy River. Events did not unfold as Lee had planned, however, and the Northerners rebuffed the Confederates at the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek. Despite the federal victory, McClellan ordered Porter to abandon his entrenchments and to fall back during the night.
Battle of Gaines’ Mill
On June 27, Lee renewed his attack on Porter’s corps at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill. The federal line broke under pressure from the largest single assault of the Civil War, but Porter got much of his command across the Chickahominy River under cover of darkness. The Confederate victory caused McClellan to lose his nerve and to suspend his offensive against Richmond. Although he refused to refer to his subsequent movements as a retreat, McClellan ordered the four corps he had poised at the doors of the Confederate capital to withdraw south toward the safety of Union gunboats on the James River.
Battle of Savage’s Station
Sensing an opportunity to destroy McClellan’s entire army, Lee devised an elaborate plan of pursuit. On June 29, the two sides engaged again at the Battle of Savage’s Station. Once more, poor execution and tardiness by Lee’s generals enabled McClellan’s rearguard to escape under the cover of darkness.
Bottleneck at Glendale
By noon of the next day, most of McClellan’s army had traversed the White Oak Swamp and temporarily escaped Lee’s clutches. Still, the Federals were not completely out of danger. As they retreated south, the Federals encountered a bottleneck where several roads converged near the village of Glendale. In addition, their command structure was fractured because McClellan was miles away aboard the gunboat Galena on the James River. The federal commanders on the front lines were left to their own resources as their leader never came close to the battlefield that day.
Lee Plans Knockout Punch
The situation at Glendale afforded Lee yet another opportunity to destroy the Army of the Potomac. He devised an intricate battle plan to throw nearly his entire army at the Federals before the Northerners could reach the safety of Union gunboats on the James River at Harrison’s Landing.
Confederate Deployments
On June 30, Lee deployed his army in a semi-circle west of the crossroads at Glendale.
- Stonewall Jackson’s division, positioned at the top of the arc, was still north of the White Oak Swamp. Lee ordered Jackson to rebuild a bridge across White Oak Swamp Creek and then to descend on the federal right flank from the north.
- Benjamin Huger’s division was next in line on the arc, southwest of Jackson. Lee ordered Huger to move southeast along the Charles City Road and take part in a massive strike against the center of the Union line.
- Lee ordered A. P. Hill and James Longstreet, whose divisions formed the middle of the arc, to join Huger in the attack from the west against the Union center.
- At the southwestern end of the formation, Lee ordered T.H. Holmes to shell the Federals as they retreated to the southwest toward Malvern Hill.
Lee’s Plans Fall Apart
Lee’s plan fell apart almost immediately. Union artillery and sharpshooters harassed Jackson’s engineers, who failed to rebuild the bridge. Rather than crossing the creek at a ford that his men discovered, Jackson reportedly lay down under a tree and went to sleep while his soldiers engaged in a fruitless artillery duel. Jackson’s men were never a factor in the ensuing battle at Glendale.
Trees that the Federals had felled across the Charles City Road stymied Huger’s advance. In what facetiously became known as the Battle of the Axes, Huger wasted hours having his men blaze a new road through the adjacent forest and failed to strike the Union center as planned.
As Hill and Longstreet awaited Huger’s arrival, federal artillery began shelling the center of Lee’s line at approximately 2 p.m. Return fire from the Confederates failed to silence the Union guns. Lee’s window for success began to close as the afternoon waned. With nightfall only a few hours away, Lee ordered Hill and Longstreet to begin their assault on the center of the Union rearguard despite the absence of Jackson and Huger.
Failed Confederate Assaults
The assault went well initially. The Confederates punctured the Union line and drove the Bluecoats back to the edge of Frayser’s Farm with a strike that featured fierce hand-to-hand combat. Without support from Jackson and Huger, however, the attack petered out. Reinforcements plugged the gap in the Union line and prevented the Confederates from capturing the intersection. The Federals still held their line of retreat.
Meanwhile, at the southern end of the line, Holmes made no progress. Fitz John Porter’s division, supported by Union gunboats on the James River, thwarted a Confederate assault against the federal left. After the first repulse, Holmes chose not to try again.
Outcome
The Battle of Glendale ended when night fell. Tactically, the results were inconclusive. The Union suffered 3,787 casualties (297 killed, 1,696 wounded, and 1,804 missing or captured). The Confederacy lost 3,673 soldiers (638 killed, 2,814 wounded, and 221 missing).
Strategically, the battle was another defeat for Lee. By failing to capture the intersection at Glendale, the Confederates lost a golden opportunity to prevent the Army of the Potomac from continuing its retreat toward the safety of Union gunboats on the James River at Harrison’s Landing. The Confederate failure at Glendale set the stage for a decisive defeat the next day at the Battle of Malvern Hill.
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 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Gaines’ Mill.
- 1862, June 29 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Savage’s Station.
- 1862, June 30
- Most of the Army of the Potomac crossed White Oak Swamp and encountered a bottleneck near Glendale.
- “Stonewall” Jackson failed to cross White Oak Swamp, while Benjamin Huger’s advance stalled along the Charles City Road.
- A.P. Hill and James Longstreet attacked the Union center and temporarily broke through the Federal line.
- Union reinforcements closed the gap, held the crossroads, and kept the army’s retreat route open.
- The Battle of Glendale ended at nightfall without a clear tactical victor.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Glendale (1862) — The Battle of Glendale was fought on June 30, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days Battles, and ended without a clear tactical winner. Robert E. Lee planned to attack George B. McClellan’s retreating Army of the Potomac before it reached the James River. “Stonewall” Jackson failed to cross White Oak Swamp, while Benjamin Huger’s advance stalled along the Charles City Road. James Longstreet and A.P. Hill attacked without their support, but Union reinforcements held the crossroads and kept the army’s retreat route open.
Alignment
The Battle of Glendale is part of the following AP US History sections:
