In the spring of 1862, George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, more than 100,000 Union soldiers, landed at Fort Monroe and fought up the peninsula until by mid-May it stood on the outskirts of Richmond, threatening the Confederate capital. If Richmond fell, the nation might have been reunified without abolishing slavery. Confederate General Robert E. Lee seized the initiative on June 26 by advancing across the Chickahominy River with nearly 45,000 soldiers, opening the Seven Days’ battles. At Chickahominy Bluff, Lee massed much of his army and crossed the river in a combined operation with Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. Later that day, Confederate attacks at Beaver Dam Creek failed against a strong Federal position, but Jackson’s presence forced McClellan’s men to withdraw overnight. On June 27, as McClellan shifted toward a new base on the James River, his rearguard at Gaines’ Mill barely escaped destruction in the second and largest battle of the campaign. On June 28, McClellan organized his retreat while Lee turned from defending Richmond to pursuing and defeating the Union army, and a Confederate probe at Gouldin’s Farm led to a small battle. On June 29, Lee attacked the Union rear at Savage’s Station on the Richmond and York River Railroad; the inconclusive fighting caused 1,400 casualties and briefly slowed the retreat. On June 30, Confederate pursuit brought a fierce battle at Glendale, or Frayser’s Farm, where determined Union resistance kept the line of retreat open. On July 1, McClellan’s army held a strong position on Malvern Hill, and poorly coordinated Confederate attacks produced a decisive Union victory. On July 2, the Confederates followed the Union army to Harrison’s Landing, where Lee found no further offensive opportunity and ended the campaign. The Seven Days secured Richmond, after which Lee moved north, defeated Union forces at Cedar Mountain and Second Manassas, or Bull Run, and marched toward Maryland in the first invasion of the North.
