The Peninsula Campaign Part 4- Up the Peninsula to Yorktown

The first members of the Army of the Potomac to land at Fort Monroe were Hamilton and Porter’s divisions of the III Corps. They began to expand the perimeter around Newport News and Hampton’s Point. Brigadier General Heintzelman reported back to McClellan that the Confederates had 15,000-20,000 men at Yorktown. Three more divisions landed on April 1st. McClellan arrived the next day. On April 4th 50,000 Union soldiers moved out. Keyes’ IV Corps traveled from Camp Butler up the Warwick-Williamsburg Road (Old Warwick Road) toward the Warwick Court House and Lee’s Mill past Magruder’s abandoned first line and Young’s Mill (see map below).

Heintzelman’s IV Corps marched from Fort Monroe up the Hampton-Yorktown Road past Big Bethel and Howard’s Bridge toward Yorktown. Both columns halted for the day around 6:00 PM.

McClellan’s plan was for Heintzelman’s III Corps to hold Magruder in place in Yorktown while Keyes’ IV Corps would pass the Old Warwick Courthouse and cross the Warwick River at Lee’s Mill cutting off Magruder’s line of retreat. It began to rain early in the morning on April 5th as Keyes column moved past the Courthouse in the mud. General McClellan’s map incorrectly showed that the Warwick River ran parallel to the James River.

The crossing at Lee’s Mill was heavily defended by Brigadier General Lafayette McLaws with 1800 Confederates and 3 guns of Captain Joseph Cosnahan’s Peninsula Artillery. Keyes pushed the 7th ME, 33rd, 49th, and 77th NY forward supported by an artillery battery. Captain Cosnahan’s two cannons in the extreme right redoubt dueled with Captain Charles Wheeler’s Battery E, 1st New York Light Artillery forcing their withdrawal. By 3:00 PM Keyes reported back to McClellan that he could not cross without great loss of life. Casualties were light on both sides seven for the Confederates and twelve for the Union. The strong stand by the Rebels convinced McClellan to besiege the Warwick-Yorktown line.