McClellan straddled on the banks of the Chickahominy River after maneuvering his army carefully up the peninsula from Fort Monroe. He was finally forced to fight a serious battle on May 31, 1862 at Seven Pines, only five miles from Richmond. As might be expected, given McClellan’s timidity, it was the Confederates under Gen Joseph Johnston that attacked first.

Johnston’s plans were too cleaver for his army to execute and the Union drove off the Confederate attacks. The South suffered 6,000 casualties to 5,000 Northern losses. The battle itself didn’t accomplish much; both sides were back where they started when the battle was over. Real outcome was the wounding of Johnston and his replacement by Robert E. Lee and the complete unmanning of McClellan.

The Confederate army became far more aggressive under Lee just at the time that McClellan became far more timid that he had already been. McClellan was horrified by the sight of the dead and wounded on the battlefield after Seven Pines. He had built and trained the Army of the Potomac and had done a fine job; but he had come to love the army to much to be an effective field general. This is what set the stage for the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek and the rest of the Seven Days.

Having fought off the Confederates at Seven Pines, McClellan moved most of his army south of the Chickahominy, sat down in the mud, and did nothing. This was good for Lee, he needed time to take command and reorganize is new army. Lee sent his cavalry commander Jeb Stuart on a ride around the Union position to scout and confuse McClellan.

On June 26 Lee attacked across the Chickahominy at Beaver Dam Creek near Mechanicsville. The attack didn’t go very well. Stonewall Jackson was supposed to attack Porter who was isolated across the river from the rest of the Army of the Potomac, but Jackson didn’t get his men up until the 27 th and before he got into position Porter pulled his forces back to Boatswain’s Creek setting up the next battle at Gains Mill.

Back at Beaver Dam Creek McClellan successfully beat off Lee’s attacks, ordered Porter to stay put at Gains Mill, and retreated back to Savage Station, Glendale, Malvern Hill, finally back to Washington. McClellan was done.