1SGDan
Major
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2009
- Location
- New Hampshire
Introduction
The Peninsula Campaign has been subject to much interest among Civil War fans. The design of the campaign and the reaction to it make for an excellent study in command philosophies and military decision making. The armies that fought during this campaign were far from experienced warriors and the commanders, for the most part, had yet to prove themselves. There were mistakes at all levels as the soldiers and their leaders learned the lessons of war the hard way. This training process turned the campaign into one of the bloodiest of the war.
The Seven Days battles and the ascension of Robert E. Lee to command of the Confederate defense of Richmond garners the bulk of the attention for this campaign. Somewhat lost in this focus is the advance of the Army of the Potomac to the Chickahominy River. The two and a half months that led up to the climatic series of battles should not be ignored. The period featured an amphibious operation that brought nearly 100,000 men into enemy territory, a fabulous ruse by a badly outnumbered enemy that delayed the advance while defenders for Richmond could be organized, a siege, a series of small battles, and the second bloodiest battle of the entire campaign at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks). In the end one leader rose to prominence while another fell from grace. It all began in the period of 4 April to 24 June.
The Peninsula Campaign has been subject to much interest among Civil War fans. The design of the campaign and the reaction to it make for an excellent study in command philosophies and military decision making. The armies that fought during this campaign were far from experienced warriors and the commanders, for the most part, had yet to prove themselves. There were mistakes at all levels as the soldiers and their leaders learned the lessons of war the hard way. This training process turned the campaign into one of the bloodiest of the war.
The Seven Days battles and the ascension of Robert E. Lee to command of the Confederate defense of Richmond garners the bulk of the attention for this campaign. Somewhat lost in this focus is the advance of the Army of the Potomac to the Chickahominy River. The two and a half months that led up to the climatic series of battles should not be ignored. The period featured an amphibious operation that brought nearly 100,000 men into enemy territory, a fabulous ruse by a badly outnumbered enemy that delayed the advance while defenders for Richmond could be organized, a siege, a series of small battles, and the second bloodiest battle of the entire campaign at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks). In the end one leader rose to prominence while another fell from grace. It all began in the period of 4 April to 24 June.