The Peninsular Campaign and Its Antecedents, as developed by the Report of Maj.-Gen. Geo. B. McClellan, and other Published Documents
New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1864. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 94 pages and 20 unpaginated advertisements follow. Appendix. Notes. Folding-map in front (repaired with tape). Errata slip before page 3. Front board weak and reglued. Cover worn and soiled. Substantial discoloration to pages. Footnotes. John Gross Barnard (May 19, 1815 – May 14, 1882) was a career engineering officer in the U.S. Army, serving in the Mexican-American War, as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy and as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served as Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, 1861 to 1862, Chief Engineer of the Department of Washington from 1861 to 1864, and as Chief Engineer of the armies in the field from 1864 to 1865. He also was a distinguished scientist, engineer, mathematician, historian and author. From May 31, 1855 through September 8, 1856, Barnard served as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. He then returned to work on coastal defenses, especially in the New York and New Jersey area. During a leave of absence, he studied construction projects in Europe. He was a co-founder of the United States National Academy of Sciences, as were other senior officers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Peninsular Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, was an amphibious turning movement against the Confederate Army. McClellan was initially successful against the equally cautious General Joseph E. Johnston, but the emergence of the more aggressive General Robert E. Lee turned the subsequent Seven Days Battles into a humiliating Union defeat. The first heavy fighting of the campaign occurred in the Battle of Williamsburg, in which the Union troops managed some tactical victories, but the Confederates continued their withdrawal. As McClellan's army reached the outskirts of Richmond, a minor battle occurred at Hanover Court House, but it was followed by a surprise attack by Johnston at the Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks. The battle was inconclusive, but it had lasting effects on the campaign. Johnston was wounded and replaced the next day by the more aggressive Robert E. Lee, who reorganized his army and prepared for the final battles of June 25 to July 1, known as the Seven Days Battles. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: George McClellan, Peninsular Campaign, Army of the Potomac, Seven Days Battles, Seven Pines, Fair Oaks, Joseph E. Johnston, Army of Northern Virginia, Civil War
[Book #74480]
Price: $175.00