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The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place from May 31 – June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Major General George B. McClellan, in which the Army of the Potomac reached the outskirts of Richmond. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it was the largest battle in the Eastern Theater up to that time and would mark the end of the Union offensive, leading to the Seven Days Battles and Union retreat.
Opposing forces
The Union Army of 105,000 men was near the outskirts of Richmond to the northeast, straddling the Chickahominy River. There were three Corps north of the river, protecting lines of communication: the V Corps under Major General Fitz John Porter; the VI Corps, under Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin; and the II Corps, under Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner. South of the river were the IV Corps, under Brig. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes in a position far forward and close to the Confederate lines; and the III Corps, under Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had 60,000 men in his Army of Northern Virginia protecting the works of Richmond. Due to faulty intelligence from the detective Allan Pinkerton on McClellan's staff, the Union general believed that he was outnumbered two to one. Both armies deployed approximately 42,000 men in the battle.
Johnston's plan
On May 31, Johnston attempted to capitalize on the Union army's straddle of the Chickahominy River by attacking the two corps south of the river, leaving them isolated from the other three corps north of the river. The Confederate attack plan was complex, calling for the divisions of Maj. Gens. A.P. Hill and John B. Magruder to contain the Union forces north of the river, while Maj. Gen. James Longstreet, commanding the main attack, was to converge on Keyes from three directions.
The Union Army had early warning of the attack from the Union Army Balloon Corps commanded by Prof. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe. Lowe had established two balloon camps on the north side of the river, one at Gaines' Farm and one at Mechanicsville. Using the aerostats Washington and Intrepid, Lowe and his assistant were able to watch the Confederate forces on the other side of the river advancing on Heintzelman's position. McClellan, working on faulty intelligence, was sure that the Confederates were feigning an attack. Lowe sent an urgent message to advise McClellan to have New Bridge repaired at once and send reinforcements to Heintzelman's aid.
Battle
The attack got off to a bad start when Longstreet took the wrong road and moved south instead of east, delaying the advance of his coordinated columns, under Maj. Gens. D. H. Hill and Benjamin Huger, so that no attack could be launched until 1 p.m. Hill began his attack alone and the Union troops were able to withstand his advance. When finally reinforced by Longstreet, Hill succeeded in driving back the IV Corps and inflicting heavy casualties.
Both sides fed more and more troops into the action, although the Confederates never achieved the concentrated mass necessary to prevail; of the thirteen brigades on their right flank, no more than four were ever engaged at once. Supported by the III Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's division of Sumner's II Corps (which crossed the rain-swollen river on Sumner's initiative), the Federal position was finally stabilized before the IV Corps could be routed. Gen. Johnston was seriously wounded during the action, and command of the Army of Northern Virginia was assumed temporarily by Maj. Gen. G.W. Smith; Gen. Robert E. Lee soon assumed permanent command.
On June 1, the Confederates renewed their assaults against the Federals, who had brought up more reinforcements, but made little headway. Both sides claimed victory with roughly equal casualties, but neither side's accomplishment was impressive. George B. McClellan's advance on Richmond was halted and the Army of Northern Virginia fell back into the Richmond defensive works.
References
- Eicher, David J., The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War, Simon & Schuster, 2001, ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
- Esposito, Vincent J., West Point Atlas of American Wars, Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
- Sears, Stephen W., To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign, Ticknor and Fields, 1992, ISBN 0-89919-760-6.
- National Park Service battle description
- Virginia War Museum battle description
External links
Battles of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War
Schlacht von Seven Pines | Richmond National Battlefield Park
"Battle of Seven Pines"