Battle of Eltham ' s Landing The Battle of Eltham ' s Landing , also known as the Battle of Barhamsville , or West Point , took place on May 7 , 1862 , in New Kent County , Virginia , as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War . Brig . Gen . William B . Franklin ' s Union division landed at Eltham ' s Landing and was attacked by two brigade s of Brig . Gen . G . W . Smith ' s command , reacting to the threat to the Confederate army ' s trains on the Barhamsville Road . Franklin ' s movement occurred while the Confederate army was withdrawing from the Williamsburg line , but he was unable to interfere with the Confederate movement . Background . When Confederate General Joseph E . Johnston unexpectedly withdrew his forces from the Warwick Line at the Battle of Yorktown the night of May 3 , Union Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan was taken by surprise and was unprepared to mount an immediate pursuit . On May 4 , he ordered cavalry commander Brig . Gen . George Stoneman to pursue Johnston ' s rearguard and sent approximately half of his Army of the Potomac along behind Stoneman , under the command of Brig . Gen . Edwin V . Sumner . These troops fought in the inconclusive Battle of Williamsburg on May 5 , after which the Confederates continued to move northwest in the direction of Richmond . McClellan also ordered Brig . Gen . William B . Franklin ' s division to board transport ships on the York River in an attempt to land and cut off Johnston ' s retreat . It took two days just to board the men and equipment onto the ships , so Franklin was of no assistance to the Williamsburg action . But McClellan had high hopes for his turning movement , planning to send other divisions ( those of Brig . Gens . Fitz John Porter , John Sedgwick , and Israel B . Richardson ) by river after Franklin ' s . Their destination was Eltham ' s Landing on the south bank of the Pamunkey River across from West Point , a port on the York River , which was the terminus of the Richmond and York River Railroad . From the landing , it was about south to the small town of Barhamsville , where a key intersection on the road to New Kent Court House was being used by Johnston ' s army on the afternoon of May 6 . Franklin ' s men came ashore in light pontoon boats and a long floating wharf was then built from pontoons , canal boats , and lumber , so that artillery and supplies could be unloaded . The work was continued by torchlight through the night and the only enemy resistance was a few random shots fired by Confederate pickets on the bluff above the landing , ending at about 10 p . m . Battle . Johnston ordered Maj . Gen . G . W . Smith to protect the road to Barhamsville and Smith assigned the division of Brig . Gen . William H . C . Whiting and Hampton ' s Legion , under Colonel Wade Hampton , to the task . On May 7 , Franklin posted Brig . Gen . John Newton ' s brigade in the woods on either side of the landing road , supported in the rear by portions of two more brigades ( Brig . Gens . Henry W . Slocum and Philip Kearny ) . Newton ' s skirmish line was pushed back as Brig . Gen . John Bell Hood ' s Texas Brigade advanced , with Hampton to his right . Hood was concerned about casualties from friendly fire in the thick woods , so he ordered his men to advance with unloaded rifles . Encountering a Union picket line 15 paces away , Hood wrote , " A corporal of the enemy drew down his musket upon me as I stood in front of my line . " Fortunately for Hood , Private John Deal of the 4th Texas Infantry had disobeyed his orders and carried a loaded rifle ; he managed to shoot the Union corporal before the latter could fire . As a second brigade followed Hood on his left , the Union troops retreated from the woods to the plain before the landing , seeking cover from the fire of Federal gunboats . Whiting employed artillery fire against the gunboats , but his guns had insufficient range , so he disengaged around 2 p . m . Union troops moved back into the woods after the Confederates left , but made no further attempt to advance . Aftermath . The Battle at Eltham ' s Landing was little more than a heavy skirmish . There were 194 Union casualties and 48 Confederate . Franklin told McClellan , " I congratulate myself that we have maintained our position . " Although the action was tactically inconclusive , Franklin missed an opportunity to intercept the Confederate retreat from Williamsburg , allowing it to pass unmolested . Johnston was pleased with the outcome . Considering the success his men enjoyed in executing the order " to feel the enemy gently and fall back , " he humorously asked General Hood , " What would your Texans have done , sir , if I had ordered them to charge and drive back the enemy ? " Hood replied , " I suppose , General , they would have driven them into the river , and tried to swim out and capture the gunboats . "