What happened during the Seven Days’ Battles?

The Seven Days’ Battles (June 25–July 1, 1862) were a series of American Civil War engagements in which Confederate General Robert E. Lee successfully defended the Confederate capital of Richmond against Union General George B. McClellan.

Following the indecisive Battle of Oak Grove, Lee launched an offensive that included a repulsed attack at Mechanicsville and a significant victory alongside General “Stonewall” Jackson at Gaines’s Mill. As McClellan’s forces retreated toward the James River, subsequent clashes occurred at Peach Orchard, Savage’s Station, and Frayser’s Farm. The series concluded at Malvern Hill, where Union troops, supported by gunboats, repelled Lee’s final assaults.

The campaign forced the Union’s Army of the Potomac to withdraw to Harrison’s Landing, effectively ending the Peninsular Campaign. The fighting resulted in heavy losses, with approximately 16,000 Union and 20,000 Confederate casualties.1