United States Civil War (1861 – 1865) in Real Time

Day 443 of the United States Civil War, June 27th 1862

District of Columbia

The United States Senate debated the admission of West Virginia.

Virginia

Governor of Virginia, John Letcher issued a proclamation appealing to citizens to make up a new force intended for the defense of western Virginia.

United States Army, Major General George Brinton McClellan’s Army of the Potomac was concentrating into a semi-circle east of Richmond. United States Army, Brigadier General Fitz John Porter’s V Corps moved at daybreak to its new position behind Boatswain’s Creek. McClellan urged Porter to hold Gaines’ Mill at all costs while the army changed its base of supply from the Pamunkey to the James River. Several of McClellan’s subordinates urged him to attack the two Confederate divisions of Confederate States Army, Major-General John Bankhead Magruder south of the river, but he feared reports about greater numbers of Confederates waiting for him. Magruder reinforced his anxiety when he ordered Confederate States Army, Brigadier General Robert Augustus Toombs to make an offensive diversion around Garnett’s and Golding’s Farm. Meanwhile, the Confederates pressed on with their attacks north of the Chickahominy near Gaines’ Mill.

Skirmishes at Hundley’s Corner, Savage Station, Mechanicsville, and Fair Oaks.

(Virginia) Peninsula Campaign - Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm

James M. Garnett's farm, near Old Tavern, was situated on the edge of the bluffs at the banks of the Chickahominy River. Near the Garnett farm was Golding's Plain, belonging to Simon Gouldin. Between the two farms was a precipitous ravine, a creek and a hill named Garnett's Hill. United States soldiers from United States Army, Brigadier General William T. H. Brooks's brigade of William F. "Baldy" Smith's 2nd division of the VI Corps began placing artillery pieces on Garnett's Hill the night before the battle. This activity was resumed by United States Army, Brigadier General Winfield Scott Hancock's brigade of the same Corps the following morning–June 27, 1862. Six batteries of reserve artillery were placed.

While the Federals worked, Confederate soldiers of Confederate States Army, Major General David R. Jones's division began taking up positions in the area. Confederate States Army, Brigadier General Robert Toombs's brigade positioned themselves at the west side of the ravine, while Confederate States Army, Colonel George T. Anderson's brigade took up a position northwest of the area, less than a mile from the Garnett house. Anderson's and Toombs's artillerists were ordered to fire on the United States soldiers whenever the opportunity presented itself. The Federals, now preparing for a general engagement, were told to avoid a clash with the Confederates. The result was a brisk shelling that lasted about an hour, and ended in a Confederate withdrawal. The United States twenty-three, well-positioned guns withstood the Confederates's ten guns, which were situated in an open field. Later, some of Confederate States Army, Major General Lafayette McLaws's men advanced towards the United States line at the Garnett farm at about 4 pm, but withdrew after ten minutes under heavy fire. There was a lull in the subsequent hours, ending with Toombs's attack on the United States line at about 7 pm. Toombs was ordered to reconnoiter or "feel the enemy". Instead, he engaged the Federals in a "sharp and sustained fight". After nightfall, Toombs's advance was repelled by Winfield Hancock's brigade after about an hour and a half of fighting. The Confederates suffered some 271 casualties during the day's conflict. The action at the Garnett farm accomplished little.

The following day, June 28, United States and Confederate soldiers clashed again near the Golding house. Jones suspected that the Federals near the house were withdrawing, and authorized Toombs to perform a reconnaissance-in-force to ascertain whether this was true. However, Toombs turned the reconnaissance operation into a full engagement and advanced with some of Anderson's men. Before he could be countermanded, the Confederates had already been repulsed by the VI Corps.

(Virginia) Peninsula Campaign - Battle of Gaines' Mill

YouTube (The Battle of Gaines' Mill: Richmond Animated Battle Map)



The first actions of the battle occurred between noon and 1 p.m. on June 27 after D.H. Hill's division reached Old Cold Harbor, where it was scheduled to link up with Stonewall Jackson's command. Hill pushed through the crossroads with two brigades, which encountered unexpected infantry fire. Seeking to suppress the fire, he brought forward the Jeff Davis Battery from Alabama, but it was soon outgunned by two six-gun batteries manned by United States regulars from United States Army, Brigadier General George Sykes's division. Hill was surprised at the level of resistance and also that he seemed to be meeting the front of the United States force, not the expected flank, so he determined to wait for Jackson's arrival before moving further. The noise from this engagement failed to reach Confederate States Army, General Robert E Lee at his headquarters, the house owned by William Hogan, named "Selwyn".

A.P. Hill's division had moved across Beaver Dam Creek early in the morning, finding the former United States line lightly defended. As they proceeded eastward and approached Gaines' Mill at about the time that D.H. Hill's men were engaged, Porter formally asked McClellan to send Slocum's division across the Chickahominy over Alexander's Bridge to support him. Hill directed the brigades of Maxcy Gregg and Lawrence O'Bryan Branch to spearhead the assault, as they had not been engaged at Beaver Dam Creek and were well-rested. Gregg was held up by skirmishers from Col. Hiram Berdan's 1st United States Sharpshooters and the 9th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (United States). By early afternoon, he had run into strong opposition by Porter, deployed along Boatswain's Creek, and the swampy terrain was a major obstacle against the advance. A particularly bloody engagement occurred as the 1st South Carolina Rifles (Confederate States) attacked a Massachusetts battery, but were repulsed by Zouaves of the 5th New York Infantry Regiment (United States), which inflicted 57% casualties (76 killed, 221 wounded, and 58 missing) on the South Carolinians, the greatest Confederate regimental losses of the day. Branch's brigade fared no better, losing 401 men in two hours of fighting. Following behind them, Joseph R. Anderson's brigade launched three assaults on the United States lines without putting a dent in them. Field's brigade became bogged down in the swamp, and some of the men in the rear ended up firing into their comrades. Some of Gregg's men reached the other side of the creek; none of the rest came close.

Map: A.P. Hill's attack



Instead of pursuing a fleeing enemy, as his orders had directed, A.P. Hill attacked an entrenched United states position, losing about 2,000 of his 13,200 men in the failed attempt. Combined with his attacks at Mechanicsville the previous day, the Light Division had lost over a quarter of its men. United States Army, General McClellan was encouraged by the telegrams Porter had sent back to his headquarters a few miles to the rear. He replied, "If the enemy are retiring and you are a chasseur, pitch in." He also told Franklin to cross the river over the Duane bridge and attack the enemy's flank if he saw a chance, but he was dismayed to hear that the VI Corps commander had destroyed the bridge for fear of a possible enemy attack. At the same time, United States Army, Brigadier General Edwin V. Sumner of the II Corps reported enemy activity in his front. McClellan's optimism was dashed, and he ordered that his headquarters' equipment be packed up in preparation for the retreat. On the Confederate side, General Lee had been an active participant in the failed assault, rallying his troops too close to the front for their comfort. As Longstreet arrived to the southwest of A.P. Hill, he saw the difficulty of attacking over such terrain and delayed until Stonewall Jackson could attack on Hill's left.

For the second time in the Seven Days, however, Jackson was late. A guide from the 4th Virginia Cavalry Infantry Regiment (Confederate States), Private John Henry Timberlake, had misunderstood Jackson's intent and led him down the wrong road. After they counter-marched, losing about an hour, Jackson's troops found the road to Old Cold Harbor obstructed by trees felled by the retreating United States army and were harassed by sharpshooters, delaying their arrival. The first of Jackson's command to reach the battlefield was the division of Confederate States Army, Major General Richard S. Ewell, who was met by Lee's aide, Walter Taylor, and instructed to move into action immediately. Lee was concerned that Porter would counterattack the weakened troops of A.P. Hill, so he ordered Longstreet to conduct a diversionary attack to stabilize the lines until Jackson's full command could arrive and attack from the north. In Longstreet's attack, Confederate States Army, Brigadier General George E. Pickett's brigade attempted a frontal assault and was beaten back under severe fire with heavy losses. Pickett himself took a bullet to the shoulder, putting him out of action for the rest of the summer; Confederate States Army, Colonel Eppa Hunton of the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment (Confederate States) assumed command of the brigade. (Confederate States) President Jefferson Davis was among the party witnessing Pickett's failed attempt.

Ewell began his attack immediately, around 3:30 p.m., without waiting for his entire division to come on line. Confederate States Army, General Robert E Lee's instructions were to advance along the same axis used by the brigades of Gregg and Branch, to maintain the momentum of the attack. He sent in his lead brigade, Louisianans under Confederate States Army, Colonel Isaac Seymour, commanding in Confederate States Army, Major General Richard Taylor's absence for medical reasons. Seymour was relatively inexperienced and his troops became confused in the woods and bogs of Boatswain's Swamp. Their confusion increased when Confederate States Army, Colonel Seymour was killed by a United States rifle volley. Confederate States Army, Major Roberdeau Wheat, the colorful leader of the Louisiana Tigers Battalion, moved to the front to lead the brigade, but he was also killed with a bullet through his head. The Louisiana Brigade withdrew from the battle. Ewell's attack continued with two regiments from the brigade of Confederate States Army, Brigadier General Isaac R. Trimble, but they could not advance beyond the swamp, falling with about 20% casualties. Porter was starting to receive reinforcements from Slocum's division and he brought forward troops to feed into gaps in his line. However, despite telegrams from Porter for more assistance, General McClellan gave no thought to the advantages of a counterattack. He asked his corps commanders south of the river whether they had any troops they could spare. When no one volunteered, he directed Sumner of the II Corps to send two brigades—about one tenth of the army—across the river, but because of the distances involved they would not reach the scene for another three hours

Map: Ewell's attack



When Stonewall Jackson finally reached Old Cold Harbor, weary from the marching and counter-marching, he began to arrange his troops and those of D.H. Hill to trap the Federals he expected to be driven east by Longstreet and A.P. Hill. He soon received instructions from General Lee that informed him of the current situation and he began to prepare his command to assault the main Federal line. Faulty staff work prevented his men from moving forward for over an hour. While Jackson rode back and forth distractedly, his chaplain and chief of staff, Confederate States Army, Major Robert L. Dabney, took the initiative to find the divisions of Confederate States Army, Brigadier Generals William H. C. Whiting and Charles S. Winder and corrected the garbled instructions they had received. Lee met with Jackson on Telegraph Road and expressed his annoyance at the delay in getting to the battlefield by telling him "General, I am glad to see you and I only wish I could have been with you sooner." Jackson muttered a reply that was inaudible under the noise of the battle. Lee then asked Jackson if his troops could stand the heavy enemy fire. "They can stand anything, they can stand that," Jackson replied.

Lee's assault at 7 p.m. was conducted by 16 brigades, about 32,100 men. Porter had about 34,000 men to defend the line, but many of these were worn out from the previous attacks and command cohesion was hampered by feeding isolated reinforcements into the line to fill gaps. Nevertheless, they had the advantages of good defensible terrain and superiority in artillery. The Confederates were not able to advance simultaneously in a neat battle line over the 2.25-mile front, but rushed forward and were repulsed intermittently in smaller unit actions. On the Confederate left, D.H. Hill sent in his entire division except for Ripley's brigade, which had been badly mauled in the fighting at Beaver Dam Creek the previous day, but they encountered stiff resistance from George Sykes's regulars. The 20th North Carolina Infantry Regiment (Confederate States Army) succeeded in overrunning a United States battery, its commander, United States Army, Colonel Alfred Iverson, who would later gain infamy at Gettysburg, was wounded in the assault. Meanwhile, the 5th Alabama's commander, Confederate States Army, Colonel Charles Peuges, was mortally wounded and the regiment's colors captured by the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment (United States). In the center were Confederate States Army, Brigadier General Alexander Lawton's five Georgia regiments, a large new brigade in their first battle. Numbering close to 4000 men, the brigade was as big as the entire rest of Jackson's division. They pushed forward with the assistance of the Stonewall Brigade, along with Confederate States Army, Colonel Samuel V. Fulkerson's brigade and Elzey's and Trimble's of Ewell's division. Jackson's division had the distinction of containing both the largest and smallest Confederate brigades on the field as his third brigade (temporarily commanded by Confederate States Army, Lieutenant Colonel Richard H. Cunningham since Confederate States Army, Brigadier General John R. Jones was ill) numbered only a little over 1000 men, it was held in reserve and did not participate in the fighting. During the assault, Arnold Elzey was shot in the head, an injury that permanently removed him from active field command in the war and Confederate States Army, Colonel James A. Walker of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment (Confederate States) assumed command of Elzey's brigade. Samuel Fulkerson was shot in the chest and succumbed to his wound the next day. Confederate States Army, Colonel Edward T.H. Warren of the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment (Confederate States) took command of the brigade. The Confederate right was opposed by the most difficult terrain, a quarter-mile open wheat field that sloped down to Boatswain's Swamp and then faced two lines of United states defenders on higher ground. James Longstreet ordered Pickett's brigade back into the action, supported by the brigades of Roger Pryor and Cadmus Wilcox, the other three brigades in the division being held in reserve. Longstreet wrote in his report, "I was, in fact, in the position from which the enemy wished us to attack him."

Map: General Confederate attack



As the sun was starting to go down, William Whiting's division achieved the breakthrough on Longstreet's front. Confederate States Army, Brigadier General John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade moved forward swiftly and aggressively and broke a hole in the line. Four of the nine regimental commanders in Whiting's two brigades were killed or wounded, as well as Confederate States Army, Captain William Balthis, the division's chief of artillery. Pickett's brigade also succeeded in its second assault of the day. Confederate breakthroughs on their center and right could not be countered, and the United States line crumbled. A total of nine United states regimental commanders were killed or mortally wounded in the battle. Most of the 4th New Jersey Infantry Regiment (United States), along with its colonel, were surrounded and taken prisoner by Longstreet's division; a lieutenant colonel assumed command of the remaining men in the regiment. Sykes's regulars conducted an orderly withdrawal from the McGehee house to Grapevine Bridge. The United States brigades of United States Army, Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher and United States Army, Brigadier General William H. French arrived from the II Corps too late to help, other than as a rear guard for Porter's retreat. A battalion of the 5th U.S. Cavalry under Captain Charles J. Whiting made a desperate charge against the Texas Brigade, but were forced to surrender after heavy losses. By 4 a.m. on June 28, Porter had withdrawn across the Chickahominy, burning the bridges behind him. During the retreat from Gaines' Mill, Brig. Gen John F. Reynolds was also captured by the Confederates while sleeping under a tree.

Harper's Weekly: Battle of Friday on the Chickahominy



Alabama

The brig USS BOHIO under the command of United States Navy, Acting Master W D Gregory, captured the sloop WAVE, bound from Mobile to Mississippi City with a cargo of flour.

Arkansas

Skirmish at Waddell’s Farm.

A Confederate force set up an ambush at Stewart’s Plantation about eight miles from Village Creek. A United States forage train was captured.

Louisiana

United States reconnaissance to the Williams Bridge over the Amite River began

Mississippi

United States naval bombardment of Vicksburg continued.

Mississippi

Confederate States Army, General Braxton Bragg assumes permanent command of Confederate Dept. No. 2, MS, as Federal mortars continued to bombard Vicksburg, MS.

North Carolina

Incident at Swift Creek Bridge.

The gunboat USS BIENVILLE (1 × 30-pounder rifle and 8 × 32-pounder smoothbore guns) under the command of United States Navy, Commander James Robert Madison Mullany, captured the schooner MORNING STAR off Wilmington.

The gunboat USS CAMBRIDGE under the command of United States Navy, Commander W A Parker, chased the blockade runner Modern GREECE ashore off Wilmington. The ship and its cargo of gunpowder, rifled artillery, and other weapons were destroyed.

Tennessee

Confederate States Army, General Braxton Bragg sent a brigade by rail via Mobile and Atlanta from Tupelo, Mississippi, to reinforce the defence of Chattanooga. The 3,000 men took just under a week to complete the journey.