When Lee arose on the morning of July 2nd the Federal Army was gone. Unsure where McClellan had gone he sent Jackson and Longstreet to follow him, Stuart’s cavalry were sent down the peninsula to see if the Federals were moving in that direction while Holmes was sent to Drewry’s Bluff to watch for an attempted crossing of the James River and a move on Petersburg. By July 4th the Union army was at Harrison’s Landing. Lincoln visited McClellan there on July 8th. McClellan thought he could make a movement toward Richmond if he were given an additional 100,000 reinforcements!

An exasperated Lincoln and Stanton brought two generals from the west to the eastern theater, unfortunately they chose the wrong two. Major General Henry Halleck would take overall command of Union armies and Major General John Pope would command the newly created Army of Virginia. Halleck was sent to Harrison’s Landing after he arrived. McClellan discussed with Halleck a plan to cross the James River, cut the railroad connecting Petersburg to Richmond and then move on Richmond from the south which Halleck thought too risky. Interestingly this would be similar to the plan Grant would eventually adopt in the 1864 Overland Campaign. Rather than reinforce McClellan, Halleck on August 3rd ordered the Army of the Potomac back to Washington in order to combine it with Pope’s. On the 5th McClellan would make an abortive attempt to retake Malvern Hill but sent only one division. At Harrison’s Landing disease ran rampant through the camp. During one of the nights in camp Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield called his brigade’s bugler, Private Oliver Norton, into his tent and together they composed “Taps”.

Lee had driven the Federal army, which was only a few miles from Richmond on June 25 near Oak Grove, to Harrison’s Landing 25 miles from the city by June 2nd but the cost had been high. The Army of Northern Virginia had lost 3.594 men killed, 15,728 wounded, and 952 missing, for a total of 20,204 casualties. Lee had lost 22% of his men. A.P. Hill lost 32% of his division, D.H. Hill 37%, and James Longstreet 40%. The Army of the Potomac lost 1,734 men killed, 8,066 wounded, and 6,053 missing, for a total of 15,855 casualties. Casualties were heaviest in Porter’s V Corps.

Lee would quickly remove three of his underperforming division commanders. Huger was made inspector of artillery, Holmes was sent to the far west to the trans-Mississippi, and Magruder to Texas.

Next- Berkeley Plantation/Harrison’s Landing

Source

To the Gates of Richmond The Peninsula Campaign by Stephen W. Sears