Confederate Pursuit

By nightfall Porter’s force had safely retreated across the Chickahominy. Lee had sustained nearly 9,000 casualties in his first victory of the war, while the Federals lost close to 6,000. “I could hear on all sides the dreadful groans of the wounded,” wrote one soldier, “oh the awful scene witnesses on the battlefield.” Determined to destroy McClellan’s army before it reached the James River, Lee continued to attack the retreating Federals. The armies clashed three more times before the Seven Days battles ended.

Virginia · United States