description: Following the humiliating Northern defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, General George B. McClellan took command of the Union Army of the Potomac. In the spring of 1862, having rebuilt his forces, the "Little Napoleon" devised a plan to end the war in a single campaign. Transporting his army by sea to the Virginia Peninsula, he would outflank Confederate forces and march unopposed on Richmond, the Southern capital. Excessive caution squandered the opportunity, however, and the Union lost its main chance to achieve an early end to the war.
language: English
title: Fair Oaks 1862: Mcclellan's Peninsula Campaign
titlecomplete: Fair Oaks 1862: Mcclellan's Peninsula Campaign (Praeger Illustrated Military History)
genres: Military History, History, American History, American Civil War, Civil War
ratings_count: 13
series: Osprey Campaign
publisher: Praeger Pub Text