Battle of Gaines’ Mill

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Contents 1 NPS Battle Summary 2 Details 3 References 4 CivilWarWiki Related Pages 5 On the Web

Dates: June 27, 1862

Alternate Names: First Cold Harbor

Location: Hanover County, Virginia

Campaign: Peninsula Campaign (March-September 1862)

US Commander: Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter

US Forces Engaged: 34,214

US Estimated Casualties: 6,800

CS Commander: Gen. Robert E. Lee

CS Forces Engaged: 57,018

CS Estimated Casualties: 8,700

Result: Confederate victory

NPS Battle Summary

^[1] This was the third of the Seven Days’ Battles. On June 27, 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee renewed his attacks against Porter’s V Corps, which had established a strong defensive line behind Boatswain’s Swamp north of the Chickahominy River. Porter’s reinforced V Corps held fast for the afternoon against disjointed Confederate attacks, inflicting heavy casualties. At dusk, the Confederates finally mounted a coordinated assault that broke Porter’s line and drove his soldiers back toward the river. The Federals retreated across the river during the night. Defeat at Gaines’ Mill convinced McClellan to abandon his advance on Richmond and begin the retreat to James River. Gaines’ Mill saved Richmond for the Confederacy in 1862.

Details

References

1. ↑ NPS.gov: NPS Battle Summaries

CivilWarWiki Related Pages

On the Web

Portions of this document contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee, created during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain. See the NPS website and NPS copyright policy for more information. Portions of this document are extracted from Wikipedia:Battle of Gaines' Mill and as such all text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Some content, where noted, may be copyright protected.