Battles of the Civil War

by Thomas Elbert Vineyard

[THE BATTLES OF FAIR OAKS AND SEVEN PINES]

After the battle of Bull Run the Union army was broken up and unorganized. General George B. McClellan was called to Washington to take charge of the army, and in the beginning days of 1862 he found himself in command of 200,000 men. He set about to organize this army and fit them for service. Presently public opinion grew restless, and the North became tired of "All's Quiet Along the Potomac."

About the middle of March McClellan moved a large portion of his army on transports down the Potomac to Fortress Monroe. On April 5th he moved up the Peninsula toward Richmond. He met with a Confederate force under General Magruder near Yorktown, who fell back on Williamsburg as the Union army advanced. At Williamsburg he met a large Confederate force under General J. E. B. Stuart, D. H. Hill and Jubal Early. The Confederates were finally dislodged and forced to retreat by the advance divisions of McClellan's army under Hooker, Kearny and Hancock, who occupied Williamsburg.

The Union army continued their march, and on May 16th reached White House, the ancestral home of the Lees, which is twenty-four miles from Richmond. On every side were fields of grain, and were it not for the presence of 100,000 men, there was the promise of a full harvest.

Great confusion reigned at the Confederate capital on hearing of the advance of McClellan's army. The Confederate army, known as the Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, was arrayed against McClellan's army, known as the Army of the Potomac. And thus was arrayed against each other two of the greatest and best equipped armies that had ever confronted each other on the field of battle. It was now imminent that this would be the beginning of a series of battles between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia, ending three years thereafter at Appomattox, where the veterans in gray layed down their arms, in honor, to those in blue.

Between these two armies lay the Chickahominy River, which at this time was overflowing its banks on account of recent heavy rains. McClellan ordered his army forward May 20th, and a large division under General Naglee succeeded in crossing the river, and took up a position on the south side of the stream. General McClellan, however, was expecting to be reënforced by McDowell from Fredericksburg with 40,000 men.

General Johnston, discovering the divided condition of McClellan's army, believed that the time had arrived to give battle. At this time "Stonewall" Jackson, with his army, was in the Valley of Virginia, and was seriously threatening Washington. The authorities at Washington deemed it necessary to recall McDowell and thus prevent him from reënforcing McClellan, which proved to be a very serious disappointment to him. McClellan ordered two divisions of his army to advance. One, commanded by General Casey, stationed itself at Fair Oaks farm, and the other, under General Couch, entrenched itself at the cross-roads near Seven Pines, which derives its name from a clump of pine trees, from which the battle fought here derives its name.

No sooner had these positions been taken than they began to entrench themselves and throw out their picket lines, for the advance division of the Confederates could plainly be seen through the timber lines.

On May 30th Johnston gave orders for his army to be ready to advance at daybreak, but during the night a very heavy rain fell and delayed operations until late in the morning of May 31st. About nine o'clock, however, the forces of Longstreet and Hill were ready to move, and advanced rapidly through the woods on the outlying division of the Federals, who made a stubborn defense, driving back the Confederates time after time at the point of the bayonet, and the last time pressing them back to the woods. Here they were met by a furious musketry fire by fresh men from Longstreet's division or infantry. They quickly gave way, and retreated in confusion back to their entrenchments near Fair Oaks farm. Here the Federals took a stubborn stand, but were presently dislodged with great slaughter by an enfilading fire from the brigades of Rains and Rhodes, who had come up on each side.

The Federals fell back to Seven Pines, where Couch's division was stationed. Their situation was growing critical, although they were making a determined stand and had been reënforced by Heintzelman's division. In the meantime Hill had been reënforced by a brigade of Longstreet's division and was making a fierce attack on the Federals. The Confederates were further reënforced by the division of General G. W. Smith. The battle raged furiously until late in the evening, when the Federals fell back a distance of about two miles within their entrenchments along the river.