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MEPFORD MAIL TRI1UNE, MEDFORD. OREGON
MONDAY. JUNE 35. 1962
THE SEVEN DAYS The Union Army of
the Potomic md the newly-named Confed
erate Army of Northern Virginia fought for
even days in the heat and swampi of the
Peninsula in front of Richmond from June
23 through July 1, 1862. When at last the
guns fell silent, the names of 36,464 Ameri
cana were added to the Civil War casualty
lists. The results: Gen. R. E. Lee, directing
hit first big battle, had driven the Union
Army back from the gates of Richmond;
Gen. George McClellan, also directing hit
first big battle, lost the Peninsula campaign,
but had saved his army from what appeared
to be certain disaster,, to fight another day.
Above, from the Library of Congress collec
tion, is an Alfred Waud drawing of the
Battle of Gaines' Hill, one of the battles
fought during the Seven Days. (UPI)
The Battle of Seven Days
M
that they could march into
Richmond with ease.
But to their astonishment
they received orders to re-
Bf MERTON T. AKERS
UPI Correspondent
The Union Army of the Po
tomac and the newly named
Confederate Army of North
ern Virginia fought for seven
days in the heat and the
swampi of the Peninsula in
front of Richmond - from
June 25 through July 1, 1882.
When the .last gun fell si
lent after this memorable
Seven Days' battle, the names
of 36,464 Americans were
added to the Civil War casual
ty lists.
And for what?
Gen. Robert E. Lee, direct
ing his first big battle, was
successful in that he drove
back the Army of the Poto
mac from the gates of Rich
mond, the Confederate capi
tal. Maj, Gen. George B. Mc
Clellan, also directing his
first big battle, had saved his
Union army from what ap
peared to be certain disaster
tu fight another day but he
lost the Peninsula campaign,
; the brainchild on which he
had pinned his h 0 p e s for
fume.
Faint Herald
The first day's fighting -June
25 - was only a faint
. herald of what was to come.
The fighting was inconclus
ive. What McClellan did not
'know was that Lee had pick
ed the next day - June 26 for
Ws offensive.
Lee's carefully planned
drive was north of the Chick
ahominy where McClellan
had left one corps command
ed by Maj. Gen. Fitz-John
f Porter.
Especially for this offensive
Lee had brought Maj. Gen.
Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jack
son's army from the Shenan
doah valley. This was Lee's
"secret weapon" and design
ed to be the crusher. Jack
ion's part in the battle was to
be a strike at dawn in the
rear of Porter's corps.
But Jackson, brilliant in
the Valley, lost his touch this
week.
Lee with 47,000 troops
waited to hit Porter's right
flank when Jackson's artil
lery opened fire.
He waited all morning - no
Jackson.
At 3 p.m. Lee ordered the
assault anyway. Maj. Gen. A.
P. Hill flung his division
gainst Porter's entrenched
lines and splintered them just
before dark.
That night Porter with
drew three miles to a position
near Gaine's Mill.
The next day, June 27, Lee
sent 63,000 men - more than
twice as many as Porter had
- into the fight. Porter's line
crumbled, almost collapsed,
but with fresh troops from the
main Federal army south of
the Chickahominy, he was
able to withdraw across the
river in fairly good order.
'Shew' by Magrudtr
South of the river, mean
time, "Prince John" Magru
der was staging another one
of his "shows." With much
bugle blowing and marching
and counter-marching, Magru
der bemused the four Union
corps in front of him all
through the 26th and the
J7th.
As Lee had hoped, Magni
fier's theatricals had convinc
ed McClellan that the main at
tack was coming south of the
river - that the fighting north
of the river merely was a
demonstration.
But by the evening of the
57th, two Union generals on
Magruder's front began to see
Don't Ntgltct Slipping
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Don't b innoytd tnd tmbarrmiMd
b urh hnaicj. PASTIETH, M
alkaline men-teU' odr to iortn
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mor firmly Mt Oltm eonndrnt fl
Ins o eurtiy ind idfled comfort.
No rwnm. SOOC7. rtMty ttu or tl
Inf. On rASTIETH odT t Unit
eounwt vtJTwhtra.
through the bluff. Brig. Gen.
Phil Kearny and Maj. Gen.
Joseph Hooker reported the
front was lightly held and
treat. Unable to believe It,
they rode into McClellan's
headquarters to protest.
McClellan listened, but re
fused to be convinced. Ob
sessed by the idea that he was
being attacked by an over
whelming force, McClellan al
ready had telegraphed Secre
tary of War Edwin M. Stanton
that he must retreat to save
the army.
Unique Telegram
His telegram to Stanton
was unique in American mil
itary history. Dated at 12:20
a.m. June 28 it read in part:
... I have lost the bat
tle because my force was too
small. I again repeat that I
am not responsible for this
. You must send me very
large reinforcements, and
send them at once ... I know
that a few thousand more
men would have changed this
battle from a defeat to a vic
tory. As it is, the government
must and cannot hold mt re
sponsible for the result.
"If I save this army now, I
tell you plainly that I owe
no thanks to you or to any
other person in Washington.
"You have done your best
to sacrifice this army."
McClellan seemed deter
mined to be defeated.
Of the seven days of fight
ing, June 28 was the quietest.
Long trains of Union wag
ons moved south toward the
James, transferring the huge
piles of stores from the Pam
unkey across White . Oak
Swamp.
It was a race now to see
if McClellan could protect his
trains. All day the 28th and
the 29th the wagons rolled
over makeshift bridges and
through the mire of White
Oak Swamp.
Learned of Retreat
On June 29, Lee learned
of the retreat and the change
of. base. He immediately or
dered his army across the
Chickahominy and Magruder
to attack from the west.
Magruder struck at Brig.
Gen. E. V. Sumner's corps
near Savage's Station but was
repeatedly repulsed. Jackson
was supposed to strike Sum
ner from the right but was
stopped by destroyed bridges
Having fought off Magruder,
Sumner withdrew.
Early on June 30 the Un
ion army and its trains had
made their way across White
Oak Swamp.
Lee attacked all day and
into the night around Fray,
ser's farm and Glendale,
again failing to break the
Union lines of retreat. Again
Jackson took only a small
part in the fighting, shoot
ing at Sumner across the
swamp with his artillery.
The trains now were safe
and establishing a new base
at Harrison's Landing on the
James.
Again the Union army with
drew overnight, this time to
Malvern Hill on the James
above Harrison's Landing.
McClellan massed his artil
lery in a semi-circle and post
ed his troops in strong sup
porting positions.
To reach the Union posi
tion the Confederates had to
advance over cleared fields
into the teeth of artillery and
musket fire.
This they did late In the
afternoon of July 1 without
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much artillery support.
The Confederates attacked
vigorously but the Union (ire
was too heavy and after two
hours they withdrew. That
two hours cost Lee 3,000 men.
Attack Described
Porter, who directed the bat
tle - McClellan having gone
to inspect his new base - des
cribed the attack:
"... As if moved by reck
less disregard of life, with a
determination to capture our
army or destroy it by driv
ing us into the river, regiment
after regiment, brigade after
brigade, rushed at our bat
teries, but the artillery mow
ed them down with shrapnel,
grape and canister, while our
Infantry, withholding their
fire until the enemy were
within short range, scattered
the remnants of their col
umns." Confederate Gen. D. H. Hill
summed up:
"It was not war - it was
murder."
A 7
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