Conflict: American Civil War
Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals
Location: Virginia (USA)
Outcome: Federal victory
On this day in 1862, the final engagement of the Seven Days' Battle began east of Richmond. Poor communication among the Confederates Generals allowed General George McClellan's Federals to entrench north of the James River at Malvern Hill. The following day, the Confederates were unable to dislodge the Federals and suffered serious casualties (20,000 total for all of the Seven Days'). Despite this defeat, Robert E. Lee had managed to thwart the Union's plan to seize Richmond.
Points of Interest:
Although the Federals had repulsed the Confederates, McClellan ordered retreat to the James River.
The South suffered nearly twice as many casualties as the Union in the Seven Days', but McClellan had been thrown back from Richmond.
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Sources:
Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.
Catton, Bruce (1955). This Hallowed Ground. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc.
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Hogue, James M. & McPherson, James M. (2009). Ordeal By Fire. New York: MaGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.