Though initially successful, McClellan's plans fell through at the gates of Richmond. Assuming command of the Confederate forces, Robert E. Lee split his army and proceeded to deliver a series of hammer blows against the Federals. Though the Confederates were not invariably victorious on the field, Lee's will to fight so surpassed McClellan's that in the end the Union forces were expelled from the Peninsula.
Weaving together narrative, military analysis, and firsthand testimony from the diaries and letters of Union and Confederate soldiers, Stephen Sears has crafted a magisterial history. It is at once a ground-breaking study of the great Civil War engagement, an unforgettable picture of men at war, and a sobering reflection of the role of individuals on the outcome of events.
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Background Information
The Peninsula (or Peninsular) Campaign was the main offensive by Union troops in Virginia in 1862. George B. McClellan was a commander of the Union forces in the early part of the Civil War, much criticized for his extreme caution. Richmond, Virginia, loated on the fall line of the James River, is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia and served as capital of the Confederate States during the Civil War. Robert E. Lee was served in the United States Army in Mexico and led the Confederate Army in the Civil War.