Peninsula Campaign

Questions / Study Guide

The 7-Days Campaign, June 25 to July 1, 1862

A Study in Command

LRT, September - October 2019

Questions:

1. Was Johnston’s plan at Seven Pines realistic?

   1. Were his orders clear?

   2. Did he check?

   3. What about McClellan’s response?

   4. In fact, was McClellan wise to spilt his forces across the Chickahominy?

   5. What was the result?

2. Did Johnston and Longstreet collude to cover up their mistakes? Why?

3. What was the effect of Johnston’s wound on the campaign?

4. Was Lee’s aggressive response the right move?

   1. If so, what did it actually gain?

   2. If not, what might have been a better alternative, or did he even have one?

5. Fair Oaks was a decisive Union victory.

   1. Why didn’t Mac launch a counterattack from with his 2 unengaged corps from across the river?

   2. What did he do instead?

6. What did the two armies do between 1-25 June?

   1. Who better utilized their time?

7. Was there an opportunity for McClellan to actually capture Richmond? More than one? What kept him from doing so?

8. What about General Lee’s plans?

   1. Were they too complex to effect given conditions?

   2. Did he effectively use his staff?

   3. Did he depend too much on Jackson?

      1. Why did Jackson so badly underperform?

9. Was McClellan’s change of supply base necessary?

10. Given Little Mac’s proclivity for not visiting the front lines an issue? Why didn’t he?

11. At Gaine’s Mill, Magruder occupied 60,000 Union troops for nearly a day with subterfuge.

    1. Hadn’t anyone served with Prince John before who knew his theatrical bent?

    2. And why didn’t anyone suggest a probe to test his lines?

12. After Gaine’s Mill, McClellan departed for Harrison's Landing without specifying any exact routes of withdrawal or without designating a second-in-command. For the remainder of the Seven Days, he had no direct command of the battles.

• 1. THOUGHTS?

  2. Was he now totally incapable of command?

  3. Should he have been relieved?

13. Part of the problem with the retreat from White Oak Swamp was reported to be the lack of good roads. Was that true?

14. Did a failure of reconnaissance cause undue losses for the Union in their retreat back to Malvern Hill?

15. Should the Union have abandoned Malvern Hill, or stayed and fought? Why did they?

16. Lee’s frontal assaults first displayed here suffered horrible casualties and were a harbinger of his tactics up until the Overland Campaign in 1864. How did they influence the war’s outcome?

17. Did McClellan deliberately refuse to support General John Pope at 2d Manassas in a pique for his failure on the Peninsula?

18. And throughout, when considering the Union plight, always wonder this: Where was the General Commanding?

Selected Bibliography:

1. The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence 1860-1865. Stephen W. Sears, ed.; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1989.

2. George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon. Stephen W. Sears. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1988.

3. To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign. Stephen W. Sears; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992.

4. Partners in Command. Joseph T. Glatthaar. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

5. Civil War Command and Strategy: The Process of Victory and Defeat. Archer Jones. New York: The Free Press, 1992.

6. The Civil War: A Narrative, Fort Sumpter to Perryville. Shelby Foote. New York: Random House, 1958.

7. The Seven Days: The Emergence of Robert E. Lee and the Dawn of a Legend. Clifford Dowdey. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 1964.

8. Lincoln and his Generals. T. Harry Williams. New York: Vintage Books, 1952.

9. Lincoln Finds a General: A Military Study of the Civil War, Vol. II. Kenneth P. Williams. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1949.

10. R. E. Lee. Douglas Southall Freeman. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935.

11. Lee’s Lieutenants. Douglas Southall Freeman. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1942.

12. Robert E. Lee: A Biography. Emory M. Thomas. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1995.

13. Lincoln’s Generals. Gabor S. Boritt, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

14. Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour. William C. Davis. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991.

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Questions / Study Guide

The 7-Days Campaign, June 25 to July 1, 1862

A Study in Command

LRT, September - October 2019

Questions:

1. What were the similarities and differences between the writings of Clauswitz and Jomini?

2. What is the difference between Concentration in Space and Concentration in Time? How was that difference important to the two sides respective strategies?

3. Compare and contrast the strategic visions and capabilities of the respective Presidents.

   1. Given the situation of the time, was it truly necessary for the respective combatants to put so much emphasis on defending their capitols?

   2. Was there another factor that weighed in in that regard?

4. What were the relationships between the major commanders and their chief executives?

   1. Johnston and Davis?

   2. Johnston and Secretary of War Judah Benjamin?

      1. What three things in particular hampered these relationships?

   3. McClellan and Lincoln?

   4. McClellan and Secretary of War Stanton?

   5. Lee and Davis?

   6. How did these relationships affect the respective army’s plans?

5. Describe the characteristics of the 3 major Commanders: Lee, Johnston, and McClellan

   1. How did they interact with their respective executives?

   2. How did they interact with their subordinates?

   3. What was their style of leadership?

6. Was Johnston’s plan at Seven Pines realistic?

   1. Were his orders clear?

   2. What about McClellan’s response?

   3. In fact, was McClellan wise to spilt his forces across the Chickahominy?

   4. What was the result?

7. What was the effect of Johnston’s wound on the campaign?

8. Was Lee’s aggressive response the right move?

   1. If so, what did it actually gain?

   2. If not, what might have been a better alternative, or did he even have one?

9. Was there an opportunity for McClellan to actually capture Richmond? More than one? What kept him from doing so?

10. Was McClellan’s change of supply base necessary?

11. Given Little Mac’s proclivity for not visiting the front lines an issue? Why didn’t he?

12. Did a failure of reconnaissance cause undue losses for the Union in their retreat back to Malvern Hill?

13. Should the Union have abandoned Malvern Hill, or stayed and fought? Why did they?

14. Finally, Lee’s frontal assaults first displayed here suffered horrible casualties, and were a harbinger of his tactics up until the Overland Campaign in 1864. How did they influence the war’s outcome?

Selected Bibliography:

1. The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence 1860-1865. Stephen W. Sears, ed.; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1989.

2. George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon. Stephen W. Sears. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1988.

3. To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign. Stephen W. Sears; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992.

4. Partners in Command. Joseph T. Glatthaar. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

5. Civil War Command and Strategy: The Process of Victory and Defeat. Archer Jones. New York: The Free Press, 1992.

6. The Civil War: A Narrative, Fort Sumpter to Perryville. Shelby Foote. New York: Random House, 1958.

7. The Seven Days: The Emergence of Robert E. Lee and the Dawn of a Legend. Clifford Dowdey. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 1964.

8. Lincoln and his Generals. T. Harry Williams. New York: Vintage Books, 1952.

9. Lincoln Finds a General: A Military Study of the Civil War, Vol. II. Kenneth P. Williams. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1949.

10. R. E. Lee. Douglas Southall Freeman. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935.

11. Lee’s Lieutenants. Douglas Southall Freeman. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1942.

12. Robert E. Lee: A Biography. Emory M. Thomas. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1995.

13. Lincoln’s Generals. Gabor S. Boritt, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

14. Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour. William C. Davis. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991.

Peninsula Campaign, Yorktown to the Battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines

LRT, July 25, 2019

Some questions to focus your prep—

• What was President Lincoln's General War Order No. 1, dated January 27, 1862?

• What was the setting in the Eastern Theater at the beginning of March 1862 – dispositions and intentions?

• What was McClellan’s original plan for advancing on and capturing Richmond? What caused him to shift to what became the Peninsula Campaign?

• McClellan had a Napoleonic view of strategy, including maneuver. What pulled him to the Peninsula?

• What restrictions did President Lincoln put on McClellan’s planned Peninsula campaign?

• What was the significance of Gloucester Point and Norfolk in this early phase of the Peninsula Campaign?

• What was the connection between Hancock and Dam No. 1?

• Why did Johnston pull his army back from its positions around Manassas and Centreville in early March 1862?

• How did the Yorktown siege end, and what was its significance to the subsequent campaign?

• What were McClellan’s and Johnston’s backgrounds, and what brought them to their commands in the Eastern Theater as of March 1862?

• What was the central, overarching relationship between President Lincoln and McClellan?

• What brought on (was behind) the organization of corps in the AoP and their initial commanders?

• What role did AoP’s First Corps play in the planning and initial stages of the campaign?

• What were Johnston’s and Magruder’s missions and objectives?

• Who was “Prince John” Magruder, and what was his role?

• What were the capabilities and limitations of McClellan’s siege artillery (the so called “heavy guns”)?

• What was Hancock’s significance at Williamsburg?

• What was the significant of Drewy’s Bluff?

• What was the significance of the Battle of Hanover Court House?

• Why was the battle called the Battle of Seven Pines?

• Who were Thaddeus Lowe and Allan Pinkerton, and what significance were they to the campaign?

• What were Johnston’s strengths and weaknesses? How were they manifested on the Peninsula?

• Assess Longstreet’s performance at Seven Pines.

• Who was the most effective general officer commanding (i.e., brigade, division, or corps) on the Union side?

• What if McDowell’s I Corps had been allowed to complete its reinforcing mission?

• Were McClellan’s concerns about President Lincoln as a “war president” justified? Why?

A few references—

• McClellan’s War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union, Ethan S. Rafuse; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005

• The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence 1860-1865, Stephen W. Sears, ed.; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1989

• To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign, Stephen W. Sears; New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992

• The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War, Donald Stoker; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010

• US Army Transportation Corps Staff Ride Peninsula Campaign, https://transportation.army.mil/History/PDF/Peninsula%20Campaign/Staff%20%20Ride%20Peninsula%20Campaign.pdf

• “The Virginia Campaigns March-August 1862”, Christopher L. Kolakowski, Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army (CMH Pub 75-5)

https://history.army.mil/html/books/075/75-5/cmhPub_75-5.pdf

• “All Roads Lead to Richmond, Part 2: Up the Peninsula”, Emil L. Posey, TVCWRT June 2019 newsletter.

• “All Roads Lead to Richmond, Part 2: Up the Peninsula (Continued)”, Emil L. Posey, TVCWRT July 2019 newsletter.