Peninsular Campaign

Peninsular Campaign, military campaign of the American Civil War, fought from April to July 1862. At the request of Union general George Brinton McClellan, President Abraham Lincoln agreed that an attempt should be made to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. On April 4, a Union force of about 100,000 men set out from Fort Monroe at the eastern end of the peninsula formed by the York and James rivers. Almost immediately the army met strong resistance at Yorktown and was forced to undertake a month-long siege before the town fell. McClellan then continued his advance on Richmond, but his indecision combined with bad weather and lack of reinforcements delayed him. The Union advance was halted at the Battle of Fair Oaks and Seven Pines, fought on May 31-June 1, just east of Richmond. The Confederate general Joseph Eggleston Johnston, commanding nearly 42,000 troops, was severely wounded in battle and replaced by General Robert E. Lee.

The turning point of the campaign was reached in the Seven Days' Battle fought between June 25 and July 1, in which the Confederate forces suffered the greater losses, but were able, because of Lee's adroit maneuvering, to force McClellan to retreat. Several stubborn battles, including the battles of Savage's Station, Frayser's Farm, and Malvern Hill, were fought in the course of the retreat, but McClellan was able to lead his troops back to the James River, where he gained the support of gunboats of the Union navy. The campaign was a failure, however, and the Union army was forced to abandon the attempt to take Richmond. The Confederate success in saving the capital gave a new impetus to the Southern war effort.