The battle of Seven Pines occurred in Henrico County, Virginia. This battle was also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks.

The bloody two-day battle was fought on the doorstep of the Confederate capital. It was the first major combat in the Eastern Theater since Bull Run/Manassas almost a year earlier, left more than 11,000 casualties in its wake, and cost the primary Southern field army its commander. The possession of Richmond hung in its balance. Yet, almost nothing has been written about Seven Pines/Fair Oaks. Victor Vignola’s Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31–June 1, 1862, which focuses primarily on the Fair Oaks portion of the battle, is a major contribution to the historiography of the war. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan marched his Army of the Potomac up the Virginia Peninsula during the early spring of 1862 and placed his inexperienced IV Corps at the tip of the spear south of the flood-prone Chickahominy River. McClellan’s opponent Joe Johnston took the opportunity to strike and crafted an overly complex attack plan for his Virginia army to crush the exposed corps. A series of bungled marches, piecemeal attacks, and a lack of assertive leadership doomed the Southern plan. One of the wounded late in the day on May 31 was Johnston, whose injury led to the appointment of Robert E. Lee to take his place—a decision that changed the course of the entire Civil War. Vignola’s use of primary and archival sources, many of which have never been used, helped craft a wholly original tactical and leadership study that directly challenges conventional accounts. His stunning reassessment has led to renewed interest in Fair Oaks and the acquisition of a significant parcel of land by the American Battlefield Trust. Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31–June 1, 1862, will be hailed as one of the most important tactical studies ever published.

Excerpt from The Battle of Seven Pines Many of the published accounts of the battle of Seven Pines are about as dark and confusing as were the tangled woods and swamps in which most of the close and bloody fighting took place. The following quotations will illustrate the conflict of statements on this subject. Federal writers say: It is hardly denied by the most passionate of mcclellan's partisans that the way was open before him to Richmond on the afternoon of the first day; that being mcclellan's greatest opportunity. The Confederates had thrown almost their whole force against mcclellan's left wing (keyes and Heintzelman), and on the sec ond day were streaming back to Richmond in discouragement and disorder. We now know the state of disorganization and dismay in which the rebel army retreated. On the Confederate side it is stated The way to Richmond was not open to 'mcclellan. The first day the Confederates attacked mcclel lan's left wing with but five brigades. So far from streaming back to Richmond in discouragement and disorder, they [the attacking party] remained in possession of the captured works on the Williamsburg road, nearly twenty-four hours after the fighting ended; and, on the Nine-miles road the Confederates closely confronted Sumner's corps at Fair Oaks for several days there after. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In the spring of 1862, Union Major General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac launched a bloody offensive up the Virginia Peninsula in an effort to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. This study chronicles the pivotal but often overlooked turning point of the Peninsula Campaign--the Battle of Fair Oaks, also known as Seven Pines. At Fair Oaks, Confederate troops succeeded in driving back Union forces from the edge of Richmond before the Union troops stabilized their position. Though both sides claimed victory, the battle marked the end of the Union offensive. Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, and Winfield Scott Hancock all rose to national prominence for their roles at Fair Oaks, while McClellan saw his reputation ruined. In the end, the legacy of Fair Oaks is one of missed chances and faulty execution, ensuring the war would continue for nearly three more years.