Ml 



I I MNSl'LAR CAMPAIGN. 



I )n ihr cveuiug of the 26th McClelUn was startled comprehending his object, ordered his entire force to 

 by tiding that JiokuM wan at hand ;nil threatening start in purMiii. By dawn of the 'J'.Uh all his columns 

 hu rear, and that A. 1'. Hill (who with Longstrcetana were reunited <>n the S. bank and in motion, and in 



l>. II Hill were designated by Lee to effect a juncture the aft< T i Magrudcr came in siirht "I Simmer's 



with .lack.vm aod break up McClcllan s .oinmunica- corps drawn up as a rear guard at Savage's Station. 

 tiou*) had concentrated hu division opposite the 1'nion A smart conflict of two hours cn>ucd. with the sole 

 extreme right at Meadow Bridge. By 8 next morning result that while Sunnier M<*M] at bay the mighty 

 Longstreet and 1>. II. Hill reaebeu their |>osts in Union caravan was passing White Oak Swamp and 

 front of Meohanii-sville All waited the advance of wending iu way towards Malvem Hill. During the 

 Jackson. He, however. W.LS d. laved by Union skir- j night the rear guard crossed the swamp, and Jack- 

 mishers, and Hill I-- .inin- impatient, crossed the son, whoarrivnl there on the :inth. found the bridges 

 river at 3 P. M. and pu.-licd down toe north bank till he destroyed, and on trying to force his way across met 

 arrived opposite' I and I). H. Hill. They also with such resistance 1'rom Franklin, who stood on the 



crossed ana joined him, whereupon the Union advance j farther side, that he was compelled to desist. Lee's 

 fell back from the village to a position beyond Beaver- object was to strike the Union line at its centre, break 

 Dam Creek. it and hurl its left wing back on Jackson. With this 



The position, a strong one, was held by McCall. The view Longstreet had flanked the swamp, and hurrying 

 creek was passable by artillery onlv by two bridges, forward came on the line drawn up at Fruzicr's Farm. 

 one near its BOBth ml Ellison's Mill, the.other a mile Supported by A. P. Hill, he charged with all his 

 higher. It could be utta i-ked in front only with heavy wonted impetuosity. Other divisions came up and 

 loss, but it could IK- turned on the right A. P. Hill, the battle raged all along the line, night alone putting 

 supposing this to have been done by Jackson, marched an end to the struggle. The Confederates slept on the 



1 field, having captured 20 guns as well as Gen. McCall, 

 but the grand result of the action was to insure the 

 integrity of McClellan's army. The troops that had 



the open swept by the Union batteries, and 

 assailed >!< '.ill's line, fust on the right at the upper 

 road and, failing there, then on the left at Ellison's 



Mill, where he was repulsed even more disastrously checked Jackson and repulsed Longstreet withdrew 

 than on the right. At '.< o'clock the Confederates, j during the night, and when Lee was next able to 

 beaten back at all points, fell back out of range and strike, it was at a united army posted on the strong 

 the combat of Mechanicsvilje, the first of the "Seven position of the elevated plateau or heights of Malvern, 



Days' battle " was at an end. Their loss was 250 killed 

 and 1250 wounded ; that of the Unionists 300 in all. 

 M- 1 'lellan now gave up all thought of maintaining 



and in close communication with its base on the James. 

 Jackson had crossed the swamp and with all the other 

 Confederate leaders was present at the battle that 



the north bank of the Cnickahominy, and McCall and ensued. In the afternoon of the 1st of July I>ee 

 Porter were directed to abandon the position at Beaver ordered an artillery attack, but this was made by 

 Dain and take up a new one with CoM Harbor as their only one battery, which was instantly shattered. Col- 

 centre, five miles farther down, the sole object being umns of attack led by D. H. Hill, Magruder, and Ew- 



the protection of the railroad along which the stores 



were being conveyed from White House for transfer- 

 ence to the James. 



ell repeatedly charged furiously in the attempt to 



establish themselves on the table-land. All failed to 

 make any impression, or even disturb a single battery. 

 On the morning of June 27th Porter and McCall, j The Confederates persisted in their desperate efforts 

 reinforced by the half of Franklin's corps, stood till dark, when, repulsed everywhere with fearful loss, 

 ready for action. The Confederates left Mechanics- 

 ville at dawn, but the bridges over Beaver Dam being 

 down, it was noon ere they accomplished five miles. 

 Passing Gaines' Mill (where a skirmish occurred which 



has given name to the whole engagement) they came Longstreet, A. P. Hill, nor Jackson took part in the 

 in sight of the Union force drawn up on a hill-side j fight. The loss on the Union side was 375 killed 

 across an unnamed creek. It was past 2 o'clock when and 1800 wounded; that of the Confederates, 900 



they ceased from the struggle, and _the Union troops 

 stood victors on Malvern Hill. During the night they 

 were withdrawn to Harrison's Landing on the James, 

 and the Seven Days' battle was ended. Neither 



the action began by A. P. Hill dashing across the in- 

 tervening plain ana swamp in the face of a fierce artil- 

 lery fire and passing close up to the Federal infantry 

 lines. For two hours the conflict raged, but the Con- 

 federates were eventually defeated and driven back. 

 Jackson came now into view along with D. H. Hill, 

 who had formed a junction with him. Longstreet, 

 who had been held back for Jackson's approach, now 

 joined himself with these, and an advance was ordered 

 of the whole line. The assault was first made on the 

 Union right held by Sykes with his regulars, and by 

 6.30 P. M. the whole Confederate force of 56,000 men 



killed and 3500 wounded. The total loss from June 

 25th to July 2d (the Seven Days' battle) was, on the 

 Union side : killed 1734, wounded 80r,2. missing 6053 

 =15,849; on the Confederate side, killed 2823, 

 wounded 13,223, missing 3360=19, 4or>, At Harri- 

 son's Landing MeClellan found himself at the head 

 of from 85,000 to 90,000 effective troops, and pur- 

 posed, in conjunction with the naval force, a grand 

 attack on Richmond in the rear. On Aug. 3d he re- 

 ceived a telegram ^m Halleck, now general-in-chief, 

 ordering him to withdraw from the Peninsula, and his 

 campaign there was at an end. 



was pressing on the Union line of 30,0(X), on right, As a master of the art of war and an organizer, 

 centre, and flank simultaneously. The line gave way whether of an army or the complicated plans and 

 at every point, and its retreat threatened to become a operations of a campaign, it may be questioned whether 

 rout, when French's and Meagher's brigades burst j McClellan had a superior among the generals in the 

 through the stragglers thronging to the bridge over the | great civil conflict, and certainly no one of them more 

 Chickahominy and advanced to what was now the entirely won the love and confidence of his men. But 

 front The fugitives rallied ; the Confederates paused his military skill and organizing power as well as his 



in the pursuit, and after a few vollevs the battle of 



/*_:. ' \i:n _ mt T* i - 



Gaines Mill was over. The Union 

 killed, 32.VI wounded, and 2000 



men 



!.-- '.vi- 

 and 20 



675 

 guns 



faculty for winning men's hearts were largely neutral- 

 ized by defects that operated to prevent him showing 



. -.-,.. ,,,v.v., a.. u *w~, u, VI , v BUMS the rpiali t ics of a general of the first class. The most 

 captured; the Confederate, 1500 killed and 8000 prominent of these was his inability in a critical mo- 

 wonnded. rnent to act with Napoleonic decision, swiftness, and 



When day broke on the 28th the whole Union force effect. He halted between two opinions and hesitated, 

 was across the river and the bridges broken. The ami to, more than once, let nis opportunity slip, 

 problem before McClellan was how to transport his Tims, within little more than a day alter his appear- 

 inimense stores and trains to the James, some 17 ance before Yorktown he was at the head of over 

 miles from his head-quarters. During the night of the 100,000 nr>n, with a splendid artillery, while Magruder 

 28th his whole force was put in motion, while Lee, on lay behind its imperfect defences with but 11,000. 



