The first two Union victories in the Peninsula campaign of 1862 were the successful siege of Yorktown and the Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia. General McClellan was able to occupy Yorktown after a long siege and on May 3, 1982, Confederate forces abandoned Yorktown to the Federals. On May 5, Union forces battled at Williamsburg. The battle itself may be called a technical draw or inconclusive, however, by May 6, 1862, units of the Army of the Potomac were in control of the city.The siege of Yorktown lasted almost one month. Many critics believe that McClellan wasted far too much time on his siege of Yorktown. Nevertheless, any threat that the Rebels had against McClellan by holding on to Yorktown were ended on May 3rd.
He was instrumental in the Confederate victories at First and Second Manassas, the Valley Campaign, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Seven Days battles.
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.
First Battle of Bull Run - proving to both sides that they were not ready for combat, and that it was going to be a long war. Shiloh - important victory by the new team of Grant and Sherman, that would lead to Union domination of the West. Peninsula campaign - dramatic string of victories by the newly-promoted Robert E. Lee. Emancipation Proclamation - making it impossible for Britain to aid the Confederates without looking pro-slavery. Fredericksburg - another decisive Confederate win by the Lee-Jackson partnership.
The Overland Campaign was mostly characterised by Confederate victories. But Grant had ended the system of prisoner exchange, knowing that the Confederates would run out of men first. Then he settled down to the long siege of Petersburg, and simply watched it happen.
Sir Ian Hamilton. He was later disgraced for bungling the campaign. As was Winston Churchill, who first came up with the idea of invading the Peninsula.
Virginia. The first big campaign in Virginia, launched by George McLellan, was called the Peninsula Campaign.
He was instrumental in the Confederate victories at First and Second Manassas, the Valley Campaign, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Seven Days battles.
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.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
He started off in the West, with a couple of minor victories, and was then selected to command one of the Union armies in Virginia in the campaign that became Second Bull Run. This was almost a rout for the Union, making a mockery of Pope's extravagant boasts, and he had no credibility after this.
Confederate commander John Magruder had anticipated as early as January, 1862 that there might be a Union assault at or near the Rappahannock River. He also thought that Yorktown was another possibility. Based on that speculation he made his headquarters at Yorktown and prepared for a Union assault on the James River. He was correct and General George B. McClellan wanted to secure Yorktown before moving west on the peninsula. It was a costly delay in his campaign.
first union victory The first major Union victory was Grant's victories at Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson. He won the reputation for "Unconditional Surrender" Grant with these victories. The first Northern Victory in a set battle was Grant's victory at Shiloh. It showed that even if forced to conduct a graduated withdrawal, Grant would reinforce, resupply, regroup, and counter-attack, driving the Confederates from the field.
After Jefferson Davis had replaced the wounded Joseph Johnston with General Lee, Lee began to make his plans to defeat the Union's Peninsula campaign that was sitting almost at the doorstep of Richmond. Lee made his headquarters just inside the eastern Confederate defense lines. He called four other generals there to plan their strategy of defeating the Union threat to Richmond. Together for the first time as a group were generals Lee, A.P. Hill, Harvey Hill, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet. As an aside, Harvey Hill immediately recognized his brother-in-law Stonewall Jackson.
Union General Charles Griffin was part of eleven US Civil War campaigns and battles. Griffin was in the following battles:1. First Battle of Bull Run; 2. Peninsula campaign; 3. Second Bull Run; 4. Antietam; 5. Fredericksburg; 6. Chancellorsville; 7. Gettysburg; 8. Overland campaign; 9. Siege of Petersburg; 10. Battle of Five Forks; and 11. Appomattox campaign.
Union General George Webb Morell graduated from West Point in 1835. He was ranked first in his graduating class of cadets that numbered 56. Morrel served with the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula campaign. He also served at the Battle of Antietam. Later in the war he was in charge of the Union's draft placement bureau in Indiana.
When Jefferson Davis first became alarmed at the presence of Union troops on the peninsula leading to Richmond, he considered sending additional troops to General Stonewall's Jackson army in the Shenandoah Valley. The idea was for Jackson to then threaten Washington DC. The plan was to have Jackson cross the Potomac River, thereby distracting Washington DC and diverting Union troops away from the peninsula to defend the Union capitol.