The Peninsula Campaign 1862; McClellan & Lee Struggle for Richmond
Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1973. Presumed First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. 192 pages. Maps. Illustrations. A Note on Sources. Index. Ex-library with the usual markings. Rear end paper has been removed. The dust jacket is price clipped and is worn, torn, (especially at bottom of spine and repaired from the inside with tape) soiled, and chipped. Some front board weakness noted at title page which has been restrengthened with glue. In this first book on the subject in 50 years, historian Cullen presents incisive evaluations of the men and movements of the Confederate and Union Armies and disputes the long-held theory that interference form President Lincoln caused McClellan’s failure. Reporting the campaign from both viewpoints, and then judging from the fascinating omniscience of history, he brings fresh research to an old subject that may be new—in this depth—to many. From the first skirmish to the concluding, bloody battle at Malvern Hill, Cullen dissects the strategies of both sides, reports the battles and skirmished, examines the character and abilities of the men who made the decisions in this early campaign that tested two newly formed armies, started Lee on his long war and brought ignominious retirement to McClellan. The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Major General George B. McClellan, was an amphibious turning movement against the Confederate States Army in Northern Virginia, intended to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. Despite the fact that Confederate spy Thomas Nelson Conrad had obtained documents describing McClellan's battle plans from a double agent in the War Department, 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. McClellan landed his army at Fort Monroe and moved northwest, up the Virginia Peninsula. Confederate Brigadier General John B. Magruder's defensive position on the Warwick Line caught McClellan by surprise. His hopes for a quick advance foiled, McClellan ordered his army to prepare for a siege of Yorktown. Just before the siege preparations had been completed, the Confederates, now under the direct command of Johnston, began a withdrawal toward Richmond. The first heavy fighting of the campaign occurred during the Battle of Williamsburg in which the Union troops managed some tactical victories, but the Confederates continued their withdrawal. An amphibious flanking movement to Eltham's Landing was ineffective in cutting off the Confederate retreat. During the Battle of Drewry's Bluff, an attempt by the US Navy to reach Richmond by way of the James River was repulsed. 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, with heavy casualties, but it had lasting effects on the campaign. Johnston was wounded by a Union artillery shell fragment on May 31 and replaced the next day by the more aggressive Robert E. Lee, who reorganized his army and prepared for offensive action in the final battles of June 25 to July 1, which are popularly known as the Seven Days Battles. The result was that the Union army was unable to enter Richmond, and both armies remained intact. Although none of these battles were significant Confederate tactical victories (and the Battle of Malvern Hill on the last day was a significant Confederate defeat), the tenacity of Lee's attacks and the sudden appearance of Stonewall Jackson's "foot cavalry" on his western flank unnerved McClellan, who pulled his forces back to a base on the James River. Lincoln later ordered the army to return to the Washington, D.C., area to support Maj. Gen. John Pope's army in the northern Virginia campaign and the Second Battle of Bull Run. The Virginia Peninsula was relatively quiet until May 1864, when Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler again invaded as part of the Bermuda Hundred campaign. Condition: Good / Fair.
Keywords: Stonewall Jackson, Army of the Potomac, Army of Northern Virginia, Civil War, Peninsular Campaign, Joseph Johnson, McClellan, John Magruder, Warwick Line, Seven Pines, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Fort Monroe, Drewry's Bluff, Eltham's Landing
ISBN: 0811712206
[Book #91834]
Price: $47.50