Explaining Savage's Station Troop Movements with Maps

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Troop Movements Leading to Savage's Station

A quick note on the Federal troop movements of the morning of the 29th June 1862. Thanks to Burton, those Extraordinary Circumstances has the movements in text.

McClellan had arranged for a defensive fallback position on the 29th roughly on the armies location before the Battle of Seven Pines. Heintzelman and Franklin promptly moved their men but Sumner was slow, not moving until after daylight, and he went to the wrong place (Allen's Farm). Magruder probed Sumner in the morning ("The Battle of the Peach Orchard") and Sumner then refused to move because he was "engaged." This created some major issues, thus:

McClellan's arrangements created a defensive line from the Chickahominy to the White Oak protecting the Trent House and Savage's Station, and blocked all the crossings of the Chickahominy to prevent Jackson crossing. It likely could have been held a day or so to evacuate the wounded etc. However, Sumner's refusal to move left him isolated and also left an exploitable gap between 2nd and 3rd Corps. McClellan issued an order placing Sumner under arrest to be used if Sumner refused to follow orders. Sumner finally moved. However, he didn't go where he was supposed to, thus:

This isolated Smith's division, covering the Chickahominy, and placed 3rd Corps in front of 2nd Corps with their flanks exposed. Unable to rectify Sumner's error, Franklin ordered Smith to collapse back on Savage's Station. Heintzelmen moved his Corps to the south and adopted a new position on the road to Brackett's Ford.

Magruder moved down the Williamsburg Road and will encounter Smith's and Sedgwick's divisions in front of Savage's Station.

 

[67th Tigers]

For those curious about what was happened south of the White Oak, these are positions around 1500, when Magruder contacted Smith at Savage's Station:

Couch (with Wessell's Bde) has been ordered to secure the Glendale crossroads. Sykes (crossing at Brackett's Ford) has formed on his right, and Morell has been sent to support them. McCall is defending the White Oak Bridge, and Slocum is crossing it.

Later in the day, Sykes and Morell will move to Malvern Hill. Slocum will relieve Couch and defend the crossroads overnight. McCall will be ordered to follow the 5th Corps to Malvern, but miss the turn at Glendale and go a few miles to the west.

 

[67th Tigers]

Ten days since my last on this, I was reading through the McClellan papers and amongst them Franklin is complaining that Sumner and McCall had not adopted their places. Later, Franklin states that he is not in place. I believe he was supposed to be on Smith's flank, and Franklin moved a brigade there later.

Thus this is McClellan's designated defensive structure, with the missing three divisions dashed for their assigned locations. Slocum's division was ordered early in the morning to cross.

Further, I find that that were not under orders to retreat in the night, and it had not been decided to withdraw that night yet. Franklin lobbied (early on) for the remaining forces to withdraw that night. The fubar at Savage's Station made this necessary, and McClellan sent orders to withdraw that night, and aides to show routes.

I need to investigate what happened with McCall. I suspect there were conflicting orders, with Porter and McClellan both issuing orders to him, and him obeying Porter's.

PS: Hope you like the colourisation.