Also Known As
- Battle of Fair Oaks
Date and Location
- May 31 – June 1, 1862
- Henrico County, Virginia
Campaign
Principal Union Commanders
- Major General George B. McClellan
Principal Confederate Commanders
- General Joseph E. Johnston
- Major General G.W. Smith
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 39,000
Estimated Union Casualties
- 5,031 (790 killed, 3,594 wounded, and 647 captured/missing)
Estimated Confederate Casualties
- 6,134 (980 killed, 4,749 wounded, and 405 captured/missing)
Result
- Inconclusive
Significance
- General Robert E. Lee replaced General Joseph E. Johnston as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia after Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines.
- The Battle of Seven Pines was the largest battle fought in the eastern theater of the American Civil War up to that time.
- The Battle of Seven Pines stalled the Union push to Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign.
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