The Peninsular Campaign

[jon_norstog]

The Battlefield Trust (formerly Civil War Trust) put up this video about the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. It's only 12 minutes, but a pretty decent overview. A little more follow-up and the Confederates would have liquidated the Army of the Potomac. McClellan did pretty well just to get V Corps out in one piece.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/peninsula-campaign-animated-map

You can argue with this account in its details, but it seems pretty decent as an overview.


jn

[bdm]

Sir Thank you for the link and video i enjoyed it

[Vern Humphrey]

I used to live right outside Yorktown, and I got a copy of Alfred Bellard's "Gone For a Soldier" -- a remarkable book, written by hand by a private soldier and never offered for publication. It was found in a trunk, with all of his letters home, his pocket dairies and his on-the-spot drawings, in the 1960s and published.

He wrote that his regiment, the 5th New Jersey, came by ship, but could not land at Fort Monroe, because the CSS Virginia was out. Instead, they anchored off Ships Point.

I got out of my chair and walked out on my back deck and looked across Chisman Creek at Ships Point. From then on, I followed him. He and his regiment marched inland a mile and crossed "Cheeseman Creek" on a pontoon bridge. He marched right through my back yard!

[Dan Shapiro]

Thanks Jon!

[Robert Scott]

Great video.Thank you. Would recommend "To the gates of Richmond, the Peninsula Campaign" by Stephen Sears.
I grew up smack dab in the middle of the peninsula ( Newport News) and still live here. As a kid we found trenches in the woods, musket balls and ramrods, probably from the battle of Big Bethel.

Vern, sounds like you used to live off rt. 17 near the Coast Guard station?

[blackhawknj]

It was said of McClellan that:
"He could do everything with the Army of the Potomac but lead it to victory".