The Seven Days Battles (Seven Days Campaign)
June 25-July 1, 1862

Near the end of the Peninsula Campaign (March-June 1862), Confederate GEN Robert E. Lee, hoping to avoid a Union siege of Richmond, decided to go on the offensive against the menacing Federal Army of the Potomac (100,000+ men - MG George B. McClellan, commanding), now within 7 miles of the Confederate capital. In preparation for his attack, Lee sent his daring cavalry brigade commander, BG James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (1,200+ horsemen), on the much-celebrated four day (12-15 June) reconnaissance-in-force around the entire Union army. The ubiquitous Stuart gathered intelligence (finding the Federal north flank vulnerable), boosted Southern morale, and helped to convince (erroneously) the ever-cautious McClellan that the Confederate opposition around Richmond outnumbered his forces 2 to 1. During the week-long (hence the campaign name) series of costly battles, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (72,000+ men), augmented by Jackson's Valley Army (18,000+ men), recently recalled from its storied successes in the Shenandoah, forced McClellan's Army of the Potomac to grudgingly give ground occupied during the Peninsula Campaign, thereby lessening - for the time - the Union threat to the Confederate capital. The Seven Days began on 25 June with an indecisive secondary engagement at Oak Grove (or King's School House). The next day (26 June) Lee ordered three divisions (14,000+ men - MG A.P. Hill, MG D.H. Hill, and MG James Longstreet, commanding) to assault the entrenched front of the Federal V Corps (15,000+ men - BG Fitz-John Porter, commanding) at Beaver Dam Creek across the Chickahominy River near Mechanicsville (northeast of Richmond). The Battle of Mechanicsville produced significant southern casualties, but Lee gained no ground. The Confederate attack was held up until late afternoon awaiting a flanking movement by Jackson's Valley Army. For unknown reasons - possibly linked to fatigue brought on by the arduous Valley Campaign and by the subsequent rapid redeployment to the east - Jackson's troops never reached the battlefield! This was the first of several delays attributed to Jackson (and never fully explained) during the Seven Days. Withdrawing during the night after Mechanicsville to strong defensive positions near Gaines's Mill, Porter was now covering a general Union retreat. Once again at Gaines's Mill (27 June) Jackson's divisions were late arriving, and only after 5 hours of difficult Confederate assaults over rough terrain were the Federals dislodged and forced back across the Chickahominy to rejoin the Army of the Potomac in orderly retreat. Following the Confederate victory at Gaines's Mill, Lee attempted in vain to destroy or rout McClellan's army, moving southeast toward the James River. At Savage's (or Savage) Station (29 June) and at Frayser's Farm (or White Oak Swamp - 30 June) the uncoordinated and piecemeal Confederate pursuit bogged down against the stiffening Federal lines. On 1 July the Seven Days Battles came to an end at the Battle of Malvern Hill near the James. The Army of the Potomac, defending the higher ground and employing superior artillery tactics, repulsed several disjointed late-day attacks by the Army of Northern Virginia. For the week-long campaign the Army of the Potomac, fighting mostly on the defensive in retrograde movements, sustained over 15% casualties compared to the mostly attacking and advancing, but less numerous, Army of Northern Virginia which suffered losses approaching 25% of effectives. Nevertheless, McClellan continued his retreat to Harrison's Landing on the James (about 30 miles from Richmond and protected by U.S. Navy gunboats). But Lee's weakened, battle-weary army was unable to continue the chase. The Seven Days aftermath: McClellan had failed to take Richmond - losing the initiative and considerable esteem within the Army and in Washington; Lee had postponed but could not eliminate the threat to the Confederate capital; and the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia set the precedents for bitter fighting and high casualties that would evolve whenever the two armies met. Estimated Casualties: Union - 15,849; Confederate - 20,141.

Notes:

  1. Numbers in parentheses reflect estimated strength of armies or units.

  2. Estimated casualty figures are totals for killed, wounded, missing in action, and taken prisoner.

  3. Alternative names of battles and campaigns appear in parentheses.

  4. Military and naval rank abbreviations in text: LT - Lieutenant, CPT - Captain, MAJ - Major, LTC - Lieutenant Colonel, CDR - Commander (Navy), COL - Colonel, BG - Brigadier General, MG - Major General, RADM - Rear Admiral (Navy), LTG - Lieutenant General, VADM - Vice Admiral (Navy), and GEN - General.

  5. Army Organization: Although authorized and actual strength and the rank of the commanding officer often varied, the standard military unit during the War was the infantry regiment (1,000 men, COL commanding) which was comprised of 10 companies (100 men each, CPT commanding). 3-4 Regiments = 1 Brigade (3,000-4000 men, BG commanding). 3 (sometimes 4) Brigades = 1 Division (9000-12,000 men, BG or MG commanding). 2-4 (usually 3) Divisions = 1 Corps (18,000-24,000+ men, MG - North and MG or LTG -South commanding). 2 or more Corps = An Army (usually 20,000-100,000+ men - MG, LTG, or GEN commanding). 2 or more Armies = An Army Group (usually 100,000+ men - MG, LTG, or GEN commanding).

Sources:

Photographs courtesy of The Generals of the American Civil War Website.

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