Gaines Mill

The Most Important Battle of the War Between the States
The Biggest Confederate Offensive Ever Launched
Pickett's Charge
The Strongest Position the Union Held During the War
General's Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, AP Hill, and Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer

With all this going for it, how come nobody ever hears anything about Gaines Mill? Probably because it was the third day of fighting in the Seven Days series of battles that forced McClellan to retreat back to Washington and ended the Peninsula Campaign. These battles do tend to get lumped together (duh - Seven Days Battles) and individually they get overlooked by many.

The above picture shows the area just west of the Watt house, on the Union left, where Confederate troops came surging up the ravine and out of the woods at the right to capture cannon and troops as they destroyed the Union line.

Robert E. Lee wanted to drive the Union troops from the field to sever McClellan's supply line in the Peninsula, and Porter, the commanding Union General, had been order to hold on at all costs until nightfall, so McLellan could switch his supply line to Harrison's Landing.



The battle had lasted most of the day, with the Confederate Army launching poorly coordinated assault, but around dusk, about the time of day this picture was taken, Confederate troops attacked across the open field above, and into the trees at left, down into a steep ravine.



Confederate troops charged down the ravine, seen here. They attacked down the slope opposite, through the waist deep swamp at the bottom toward the union line, where the picture was taken from.

The Union line was in three parts, one line at the base of the ravine, another halfway up the slope, and another at the crest of the ridge, supported by artillery.



After the Union line broke, troops fled over this area to the Chickahomminy River on the left of the picture and safety. Union cavalry formed up in the area of trees in the left foreground to counterattack, while cannon on the open ridge tried to stem the Confederate assault. Both attempts failed, and the field remained in Confederate hands, yet the battle was a victory for both sides.

The Union had held out until nightfall, and Lee had achieved his objective of severing the Union link to White House.

I'll have lots more on this battle when all the pages are complete!

Posted by Indiana Reb on: Monday 18th September 2006, 11:45 AM