On May 3rd Union General William Franklin’s division sat on transport ships in the York River waiting for the order to attack Confederate fortifications on Gloucester Point across the river from Yorktown. When the Rebels evacuated the town before the scheduled Federal attack on the 5th plans changed. Franklin’s men were sent up the York River to Brickhouse Landing near West Point to try and cut off Johnston’ retreat. The transports left on the morning of the 6th and began disembarking that afternoon. Confederate scouts detected their arrival quickly leading Confederate Major General Gustavus Smith to send Brigadier General William Whiting’s division to protect the retreating Rebel column. Franklin realizing that his arrival was detected arranged his force in a semicircle with both ends anchored on the York River. Colonel George Taylor’s NJ brigade guarded the right, Brigadier General John Newton’s NY brigade the center and Henry Slocum’s brigade the left. Franklin was hesitant to advance inland because his maps were poor and slaves escaping to his lines had informed him the entire Confederate army was coming his way. Confederate Brigadier John Bell Hood’s Texas brigade would be the first to contact the Federals. Hood’s brigade camped just north of Barhamsville on the evening of the 6th. They broke camp at 7:00 AM without loading their muskets since Hood thought they would be traveling within Confederate picket lines (see map below on the Civil War Trails sign).

Hood was personally leading the 1st and 4th TX to the left of Mill Creek on the main road past the remains of the Wahrani Church. Hill had Colonel James Archer’s 5th TX moving up the right side of the creek. Hood was at the head of his column when two companies from the 16th NY that were guarding the road quickly moved out from behind a building where they were hiding and fired at the Rebels. One of the Union soldiers was about to fire on Hood when he was shot down by Private George Deal of the 4th TX. The men from the 16th NY fell back. Newton moved the 31st NY forward along with the 32nd NY. After some initial success they were pushed back by the 1st and 4th TX. On the other side of the creek the 5th TX came in contact with the 95th PA forcing their retreat back to Union lines. The battle is interpreted by the Civil War Trails sign below at the site of the stumpy field.

The rest of Whiting’s Rebel division had come up and were concealed in a tree line across from Franklin’s line at the Civil War Trails sign below.

As Whiting was about to attack Union artillery and gunboats from the York River began shelling the tree line. By 3:00 PM the Confederate column had cleared the area and Whiting withdrew. The Federals suffered 53 men killed or mortally wounded and the Confederates 21. The battle is called the Battle of Eltham’s Landing even though the fighting occurred near Brickhouse Landing on the York River. Eltham’s Landing is on the Pamunky River a few miles away.

Johnston was concerned that McClellan having failed to get into his rear via the York River might try a similar maneuver via the James River. If this were the case the only thing stopping them was the ironclad CSS Virginia at the Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth on the Elizabeth River and the fort at Drewry’s Bluff 8 miles below Richmond. On the evening of the 9th the Confederates burned the Gosport Navy Yard and evacuated Norfolk. The CSS Virginia was not seaworthy enough to enter the Atlantic, and was unable to retreat up the James River due to her 22-foot draft. Given this, her captain, Josiah Tattnall III, ordered the ship destroyed. Catesby Jones and John Taylor Wood set fire to gunpowder and cotton on the ship’s deck and early on the morning of May 11, 1862, its magazine exploded and the CSS Virginia sank off Craney Island.

On May 15th Johnston continued moving west toward Richmond crossing the Chickahominy River. Below Drewry’s Bluff the Rebels had sunk ships and debris to try and block the channel. Also on the 15th five Union vessels tested the defenses at Drewry’s Bluff with 5 ships including the ironclads Galena and Monitor, discussed further in the next post. On May 14th McClellan decided to use White House Landing for his supply base in order to be closer to General McDowell and his 30,000 troops for a possible combination of their forces. On May 18th McClellan created two new corps the V and VI for Porter and Franklin. On that day Union forward pickets reached Bottom’s Bridge on the Chickahominy River. Davis and Lee rode out from Richmond on May 14th and 22nd to meet with General Johnston to discuss his tactics of continuing to fall back upon Richmond without a major battle. On May 24th Porter’s corps crossed New Bridge and occupied Mechanicsville. Keyes took control of the Seven Pines area at the junction of the the Nine Mile and Williamsburg Roads. A few days later his corps occupied Fair Oaks Station only one mile from Seven Pines and still Johnston did not attack. Lee visited Johnston again on the 26th concerned that the Federals now in Mechanicsville could combine with McDowell’s Corps if it advanced south from Fredericksburg increasing the Federals numerical advantage.

In the interim, important events were occurring in the Shenandoah Valley. On May 8th Stonewall Jackson defeated Major General John C. Frémont’s Mountain Department under General Robert Milroy at McDowell, Virginia. On May 23rd Jackson defeated Banks at Front Royal and then at Winchester forcing him to retreat north. These events caused Lincoln to keep McDowell and his 30,000 men closer to Washington. On May 26th McClellan learned of a Rebel force at Hanover Court House and ordered Porter to move there, drive the Rebels out and cut the Virginia Central and the Richmond and Fredericksburg Railroads.

Next- The Peninsula Campaign Post 15- The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff.