General Robert E. Lee was appointed to replace the wounded General Joseph Johnston on June 1, 1862. The Confederate forces he led would soon be called the Army of Northern Virginia. Immediately prior to this assignment, Lee had been a military advisor to President Jefferson Davis.
As the Union's Peninsula campaign was in its early stages, General McClellan was certain that President Lincoln was hampering McClellan's war operations. Lincoln had stepped in and retained the corps under General McDowell to defend Washington DC. Lincoln believed this was a necessity.
Union General Innis Newton Palmer graduated from West Point in 1846. He was ranked 38th among the graduating class of cadets that numbered 59. Palmer saw duty at the First Battle of Bull Run and during the Peninsula campaign. He was in the same class of George B. McClellan, under whom he served in the Peninsula campaign.
On July 1, 1862, the Battle of Malvern Hill was fought in the Peninsula campaign. Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee suffered a serious defeat against entrench Union troops. Union commanders under General McClellan urge a counterattack, however McClellan believes he needs to retreat rather than lose more troops.
Some staff members in General George B. McClellan were loyal to him, to the point of giving him good advice. One friend of McClellan was General William F. Smith. When McClellan shared his political views with Smith during the Peninsula campaign, Smith advised his friend that he was becoming too political and this might damage his duty to command a large army.
Halleck came to the conclusion that even if McClellan did, his planned turning movement would result in becoming an exterior line of operation to General Lee's advantage. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was situated between the armies of Pope and McClellan and could thus form a concentration against either army and result in a major Union defeat. The exterior line situation that the Union had created was a potential disaster. The best move was to evacuate the Peninsula and join Pope in Northern Virginia.
George McLellan
During the Peninsula campaign the fighting for Richmond began at Fair Oaks. General Johnston was wounded during his attack on Union forces and was replaced by General Robert E. Lee.
General McClellan believed he had good reasons for his ideas that Washington DC was set about to damage his plans for the Peninsula campaign. He resented his battle plans being questioned, having his army reorganized against his will, and to read in newspapers about his removal from the general in chief title he had. From that point on, he began his campaign of blaming Washington DC for his failures in the Peninsula campaign.
Union General George B. McClellan had plans for General Totten in the 1862 Peninsula campaign. Late in March of 1862, McClellan had requested that General Totten be made available to build fortifications on the peninsula leading to Richmond. He was an experienced engineer. McClellan understood that the experience of the Army's chief engineer, Totten would be invaluable in this campaign.
5 miles
The failed Peninsula Campaign in July 1862 was frustrating for Lincoln. One result of this was Lincoln's appointment of General Halleck as general in chief. Halleck was thus appointed at this time to handle General George B. McClellan's problems.
President Lincoln took the advice of generals Hitchcock and Thomas on the number of troops that were needed to protect Washington DC as the Peninsula campaign was about to begin. As a result, General McDowell's corps were removed from General McClellan's army as the Peninsula campaign was almost ready to begin.
The Tullahoma campaign , the campaign of Middle Tennessee, involved the armies of Confederate General Braxton Bragg and the Union General William Rosecrans. This series of conflicts immediately preceded the Chickamauga campaign. It was a high point for General Rosecrans.
Union General George Meade still believed that a "peninsula campaign" was the best way to assault Richmond. Meade did not press his ideas because of the 1862 failed Peninsula campaign of General George B. McClellan.
As the Union's Peninsula campaign was in its early stages, General McClellan was certain that President Lincoln was hampering McClellan's war operations. Lincoln had stepped in and retained the corps under General McDowell to defend Washington DC. Lincoln believed this was a necessity.
A more cautious Confederate general was replaced by the more aggressive Robert E. Lee.
In the opening weeks of the Peninsula campaign, almost 70,000 Union troops faced no more than 15,000 Rebel forces holed up on Yorktown. It would take another 3 weeks before the Rebel forces could reach a proper position. If McClellan had immediately assaulted Yorktown, he would have saved valuable time and also accomplished an important part of his mission, which was to speed westward on the Peninsula towards Richmond.