Civil 
War Trips logo

The Peninsula Campaign:
Mechanicsville to Westover

1862

cannonThe Union Army moved close to Richmond - close enough to hear the church bells, they said. But the capital of the Confederacy did not fall in 1862.

This 2001 field trip followed the events now known as the Seven Days Battles. We began our day at Beaver Dam Creek where the first of the Seven Days battles took place near Mechanicsville on June 26, 1862. Here Robert E. Lee, newly placed in command of the forces defending Richmond, attacked the Union right but suffered heavy losses.

At Gaines' Mill, Union troops were eventually overwhelmed by a massive Confederate assault. By the last of the Seven Days Battles (at Malvern Hill), the two sides had suffered some 35,000 casualties.

page 1 of 2 Next

swamp 005pointup footbridge
Beaver Dam Creek Swampy terrain slowed the Federals; we had the advantage of a bridge.
gaines mill wilcox monument holding frypan
House at Gaines Mill Wilcox monument Visual Aid
field lunchtime talk Pam Shares with a dog
Quiet Battlefield, Savage's Station Lunchtime Lecture Pam shares some water
These sites are close to Richmond, Virginia

NEXT: Westover

Richmond National Battlefield Park | Civil War Field Trips Home

Photos taken Summer 2001 by Linda Javins (now Walcroft). Posted 2003, revised 2/05

Comments?

home | Return to top of Page