Overview
The Peninsula Campaign was a major Union offensive in Virginia during 1862. After the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, George B. McClellan reorganized the Army of the Potomac and developed a plan to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. Rather than advance directly against Confederate forces near Manassas Junction, McClellan transported his army by water to Fort Monroe and planned to move northwest along the Virginia Peninsula.
McClellan started moving approximately 120,000 soldiers to Fort Monroe on March 17, 1862. On April 4, the Army of the Potomac advanced toward Yorktown. When Union troops encountered about 10,000 Confederates along the Warwick River, McClellan mistakenly believed he faced a larger force. He chose siege operations instead of an immediate attack. The Siege of Yorktown delayed the Union advance for about one month and allowed General Joseph E. Johnston to reinforce the peninsula.
After Confederate forces withdrew from Yorktown, McClellan pursued them and fought the Battle of Williamsburg (May 5, 1862). The battle was inconclusive, but Confederate forces delayed the Union advance long enough for Johnston to establish new defenses around Richmond.
McClellan eventually positioned his army near the Chickahominy River, only a few miles from Richmond. Johnston attacked at the Battle of Seven Pines (May 31–June 1), but Union forces repelled the assault. Johnston was severely wounded, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Robert E. Lee to replace him.
Lee soon took the offensive. From June 25 to July 1, Confederate forces attacked during the Seven Days Battles. Although only Gaines’ Mill produced a clear Confederate victory, Lee forced McClellan away from Richmond. The Army of the Potomac retreated down the peninsula, ending the Union threat to the Confederate capital.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Peninsular Campaign.
- Date: March–July 1862.
- Location: Virginia Peninsula.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George B. McClellan.
- CSA Commanders: Joseph E. Johnston, Robert E. Lee.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Peninsula Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1862.
Key Details
- The goal of the Peninsula Campaign was to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and bring about a quick end to the American Civil War.
- General Robert E. Lee replaced General Joseph E. Johnston as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign (and for the remainder of the war) when Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines (May 31 – June 1, 1862).
- McClellan’s invading Army of the Potomac had over 120,000 men.
- The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks (May 31 – June 1, 1862), halted the Union advance on Richmond, just six miles from the Confederate capital.
- A series of engagements collectively known as the Seven Days Battles drove the Union Army of the Potomac back down the peninsula, and away from Richmond.
- On August 3, 1862, President Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry Halleck ordered McClellan to leave the peninsula and reinforce the Army of Virginia near Manassas Station.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 23,900, including 16,800 killed and wounded and 7,100 captured or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 117,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 29,600, including 27,500 killed and wounded and 2,100 captured or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 100,000.
Significance
The Peninsula Campaign is important to American History because its failure prevented the Union from capturing Richmond, Virginia, in 1862. George McClellan advanced to within six miles of the Confederate capital, but repeated delays allowed Confederate forces to strengthen their defenses. After Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines, Robert E. Lee took command and launched the Seven Days Battles. Lee forced the Army of the Potomac away from Richmond, allowing Confederate forces to shift their attention toward the Army of Virginia and later invade the North.
History
Within twenty-four hours of the Union’s defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the Lincoln administration called upon George B. McClellan to lead the Union war effort. McClellan spent the first few months of his command fortifying Washington, DC, and reorganizing federal forces. The Northern public and politicians, however, wanted action. Accordingly, McClellan devised plans for an offensive to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, and bring a quick conclusion to the war. McClellan incorrectly believed that the main Confederate army, entrenched near Manassas Junction, outnumbered the Union Army of the Potomac. Eschewing a major battle, he planned to use the Union’s superior naval resources to transport his army down the Chesapeake Bay, outflanking the Confederates and capturing Richmond.
Army of the Potomac on the Move
The offensive began on March 17, when McClellan began transporting his army of approximately 120,000 men to Fort Monroe, on the peninsula between the York and James Rivers in southeastern Virginia. On April 4, the Army of the Potomac began its advance up the peninsula toward Yorktown. The next day, the advance came to a halt when the Federals encountered Confederate forces of about 10,000, dug in along the Warwick River. Once again, erroneously believing that the Confederates outnumbered his army, McClellan settled in for a siege rather than an attack. The Siege of Yorktown resulted in a one-month delay that enabled Confederate General Joseph Johnston to redeploy troops from northern Virginia to the peninsula.
Battle of Williamsburg
On May 4, McClellan finally launched an assault on Yorktown, only to find that the Confederate defenders were moving back toward Richmond. McClellan sent his army in pursuit of the retreating Confederates, and on May 5, the first major encounter of the Peninsula Campaign occurred near Williamsburg. The results of the Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, were inconclusive, but the rearguard of Confederate General James Longstreet held off the Union attack long enough to enable Johnston’s main army to establish new defensive lines protecting Richmond.
Federals Stalled
Once again, McClellan’s offensive stalled as he awaited reinforcements and devised his plans for capturing Richmond. As McClellan lingered at the gates of Richmond, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson inflicted a series of defeats on Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley. President Lincoln, perceiving Jackson’s actions as a threat to Washington, recalled the reinforcements McClellan expected on the peninsula.
Robert E. Lee Replaces Joseph E. Johnston
Meanwhile, McClellan had encamped his army on both sides of the Chickahominy River, east of Richmond. When heavy spring rains flooded the Chickahominy, Johnston seized the opportunity to attack McClellan’s army, divided by the swollen river. The Federals repelled the Confederate attack at the Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks (May 31 to June 1, 1862), but McClellan lost his initiative. During the battle, an exploding Union shell severely injured Johnston. Confederate President Jefferson Davis soon named Robert E. Lee to replace Johnston.
Seven Days Battles
Following the Battle of Seven Pines, McClellan redeployed most of his army south of the Chickahominy River and continued to plan for a siege of Richmond. Taking advantage of McClellan’s inactivity, on June 25, Lee launched the first of six assaults on Federal troops in seven days, collectively known as the Seven Days Battles (June 25 to July 1, 1862). Although the Battle of Gaines Mills was the only engagement in the series that produced a tactical Confederate victory, the battles achieved Lee’s strategic aim of driving McClellan away from Richmond. The Army of the Potomac retreated down the peninsula until President Lincoln and General-of-Army Henry Halleck recalled it on August 3, to support the Army of Virginia at the Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28 to 30, 1862).
Outcome
The failure of the Peninsula Campaign was a critical turning point in the war. In May, the Army of the Potomac was only six miles from the Confederate capital. By July, with McClellan’s army in retreat, Lee could turn his attention to the Union Army of Virginia, less than thirty miles from Washington, and inflict another disastrous Federal defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run, opening the way for a Confederate invasion of the North.
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
- Lee launched the series of attacks known as the Seven Days Battles.
- 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 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Glendale.
- 1862, July 1 — Union forces won the Battle of Malvern Hill, ending the Seven Days Battles.
- 1862, August 3 — President Abraham Lincoln and Henry Halleck ordered McClellan to leave the peninsula and reinforce the Army of Virginia.
AP US History
Definition
Peninsula Campaign (1862) — The Peninsula Campaign was a Union offensive led by George B. McClellan to capture Richmond, Virginia, and quickly end the Civil War. The Siege of Yorktown delayed the Union advance and allowed Confederate reinforcements to reach the peninsula. The Battle of Seven Pines stopped McClellan near Richmond and led Robert E. Lee to take command. During the Seven Days Battles, Lee forced the Army of the Potomac away from Richmond, resulting in a Confederate victory.
Alignment
The Peninsula Campaign is part of the following AP US History sections:
