Extraordinary Circumstances: The Seven Days BattlesThe first campaign in the Civil War in which Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia, the Seven Days Battles were fought southeast of the Confederate capital of Richmond in the summer of 1862. Lee and his fellow officers, including Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and D. H. Hill, pushed George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac from the gates of Richmond to the James River, where the Union forces reached safety. Along the way, Lee lost several opportunities to harm McClellan. The Seven Days have been the subject of numerous historical treatments, but none more detailed and engaging than Brian K. Burton's retelling of the campaign that lifted Southern spirits, began Lee's ascent to fame, and almost prompted European recognition of the Confederacy. |
Contents
The Nation Has Been Making Progress | 1 |
The area of the Seven Days campaign | 5 |
You Have Done Your Best to Sacrifice This | 8 |
He Rose and Walked Off in Silence | 14 |
It Was a Very Tedious Tiresome March | 20 |
How Are We to Get at Those People? | 27 |
Lees plan as given in General Orders no 75 | 38 |
The Responsibility Cannot Be Thrown on My Shoulders | 41 |
His Only Course Seemed to Me Was to Make | 153 |
Troop movements June 28 1862 | 159 |
Garnetts or Goldings Farm June 28 1862 | 172 |
But What Do You Think? Is the Enemy in Large Force? | 178 |
Lees plan for June 29 1862 | 181 |
Allens Farm June 29 1862 | 189 |
Troop movements June 29 1862 | 196 |
Savage Station June 29 1862 | 215 |
Oak Grove June 25 1862 | 46 |
Charging Batteries Is Highly Dangerous | 58 |
Confederate movements June 26 1862 | 60 |
Mechanicsville June 26 1862 | 70 |
Little Powell Will Do His Full Duty Today | 82 |
Troop movements June 27 1862 | 85 |
A P Hills attacks Gainess Mill June 27 1862 | 96 |
Were Holding Them but Its Getting Hotter and Hotter | 100 |
Ewells attacks Gainess Mill June 27 1862 | 105 |
7 | 115 |
Final assaults on Sykess line Gainess Mill June | 119 |
Final assaults on Morells line Gainess Mill June 27 1862 | 126 |
You Have Done Your Best to Sacrifice This Army | 138 |
Garnetts Farm June 27 1862 | 145 |
Lees plan for June 30 1862 | 233 |
He Rose and Walked Off in Silence | 249 |
White Oak Swamp and Bracketts June 30 1862 | 252 |
Longstreets assaults Glendale June 30 1862 | 277 |
It Is Nothing When You Get Used to It | 281 |
Press Forward Your Whole Line and Follow | 324 |
General Magruder Why Did You Attack? | 341 |
It Was a Very Tedious Tiresome March | 365 |
Under Ordinary Circumstances the Federal Army Should | 386 |
Appendix A Union and Confederate Troop Strengths | 401 |
McClellans June 28 Telegram to Stanton | 407 |
Notes | 421 |
Bibliography | 473 |
499 | |