The Seven Days Battle

Army of the Potomac

• Commander: General McClellan "Young Napoleon"
• known for great organizational skills
• number of soldiers: 100,000
• The army was known as "Mr. Lincoln's Army"
• Lincoln wanted Washington protected

soldier's singing the popular song: "McClellan is our Man"

Army of Northern Virginia

• Commander: General Robert E. Lee
• number of soldiers: 65,000
• Had recently lost it's former commander General Joseph E. Johnston
• The army was disorganized and undisciplined
• A major reason for the battles that were lost was due to miscommunicatio

The Goal of Both Sides

• Union: originally General McClellan wanted to take control of Richmond, VA this would have led to a quick end to the Civil War since Richmond was the capital of the Confederation
• Confederacy: General Lee wanted to push the Federals back to the North and protect Richmond from being seized.

Location of Battle

• was fought at Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill , Savage Station, Glendale, and Malvern Hill
• Beaver Damn Creek June 26, 1862: fought in Mechanicsville, Virginia -won by the Union
• Gaines' Mill June 27, 1862: fought in Mechanicsville, Virginia- won by Confederacy
• Savage Station June 29, 1862: fought in Henrico County, Virginia- won by Confederacy
• Glendale June 30, 1862: fought in Henrico County, Virginia- won by Union
• Malvern Hill July 1, 1862: fought in Henrico County , Virginia- won by Union

Progression of each battle in the Seven Days Battle

Casualties and the Causes of Death

• Union:15, 849
• Confederacy: 20,135
• Most soldiers died from infectious diseases such as gangrene and erysipelas
• The weather brought much rain and overly baring heat

Untitled Slide

The Outcome of the Battle

• More men die in Confederate army than Union Army
• The Army of the Potomac is pushed further north out of Confederate territory
• Richmond is protected

The Importance of this Battle

• The of rise General Robert E. Lee
• served as a teachable moment for both the Union and Confederate armies
• Prolonged the Civil War for three more years

Questions

• What was the importance of the Seven Days Battle?
• What were the primary causes of death during the battles?
• What were the agendas of each army?
• Why was the Army of the Potomac formed?
• Who truly succeeded from the Seven Days Battle?

Civil War Trust. Civilwar.org. Civil War Trust, 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
United States. National Park Service. "U.S. National Park Service." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 07 Mar. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Encyclopedia Virginia. EncyclopediaVirginia.org. Vfa, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
PBS. PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.