Peninsular Campaign  "Strategy to Capture Richmond"  July 1861 - March 1862

On July 27, 1861, after the Union defeat in the 1st Battle of Bull Run, President Lincoln replaced army commander Gen. Irvin McDowell with 35-year-old Gen. George B. McClellan. McClellan had gained national prominence by taking credit for the first two of the few Union victories in the first year of the war: the battles of Rich Mountain and Corrick's Ford in western Virginia. Through his leadership and administrative ability, he turned the Army of the Potomac into a solid, disciplined fighting force. In doing so, he gained the undying love of his men.

Now his job was to take his confident and spirited army and crush the rebellion by defeating the Confederate forces in Virginia. McClellan had planned a drive on Richmond by Thanksgiving, but for a number of reasons his army remained inactive. Then he developed a much more ambitious plan under which he would move his army by water to the hamlet of Urbana, VA, bypassing the Confederate entrenchments and starting his drive only 60 miles from Richmond. He shared his plan with only a few of his subordinates, keeping Lincoln and other officials in the dark. In January, an exasperated Lincoln exclaimed, "If General McClellan does not want to use the Army, I would like to borrow it." He was about to replace "Little Mac" when McClellan finally revealed his plan. With reservations, Lincoln approved the plan. His primary concern was for the safety of Washington, and he required that McClellan leave a sufficient force to repel any Confederate offensive to the Union capitol.

Before McClellan started his offensive, the Confederates pulled out of the entrenchments at Manassas and retired south to the Rappahannock River. McClellan had to scrap the Urbana plan, but he kept the concept and received permission to take his army farther south down the coast to Fort Monroe, a Union-held position at the tip of the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. From there he would march up the peninsula and capture Richmond.

Fascinating Fact:  McClellan did not try to get along with government officials. One evening Lincoln called at his house. Since McClellan was not home, Lincoln waited for him to return. When McClellan came in, he did not acknowledge Lincoln's presence-he simply went to bed.


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