Battle of Garnett ' s & Golding ' s Farm The Battle of Garnett ' s and Golding ' s Farms took place June 27 – 28 , 1862 , in Henrico County , Virginia , as part of the Seven Days Battles ( Peninsula Campaign ) of the American Civil War . While battle raged north of the Chickahominy River at Gaines ' s Mill on June 27 , Confederate Brig . Gen . John B . Magruder conducted a reconnaissance in force that developed into a minor attack against the Union line south of the river at Garnett ' s Farm . The Confederates attacked again near Golding ' s Farm on the morning of June 28 but were easily repulsed . These " fixing " actions heightened the fear in the Union high command that an all - out attack would be launched against them south of the river . Background . The Seven Days Battles began with a Union attack in the minor Battle of Oak Grove on June 25 , 1862 , but Union Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan and his Army of the Potomac quickly lost the initiative as Confederate General Robert E . Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia began a series of attacks at Beaver Dam Creek on June 26 and Gaines ' s Mill on June 27 . The Army of the Potomac began its retreat toward the James River . Lee ' s cavalry reported that Union troops had abandoned their defense of the Richmond and York River Railroad and the White House supply depot on the York River . That information , plus the sighting of large dust clouds south of the Chickahominy River , convinced Lee that McClellan was heading for the James . Battle . While Lee ' s main attack at Gaines ' Mill was progressing on June 27 , the Confederates south of the Chickahominy performed a reconnaissance in force to determine the location of McClellan ' s retreating army . Brig . Gen . John B . Magruder , who up to this time had engaged the Union forces on the Peninsula primarily with theatrical diversions , ordered Brig . Gen . Robert A . Toombs ' s brigade forward to " feel the enemy . " Toombs , a Georgia politician with a disdain for professional officers , instead launched a sharp attack at dusk against Brig . Gen . William F . " Baldy " Smith ' s VI Corps division near Old Tavern at the farm of James M . Garnett . The attack was easily repulsed by the brigade of Brig . Gen . Winfield S . Hancock , inflicting 271 casualties among the Georgians . On June 28 , Toombs again was ordered to conduct a reconnaissance , but turned it into an attack over the same ground , meeting the enemy at the farm of Simon Gouldin ( also known as Golding ) . Toombs took it upon himself to order his fellow brigade commander , Brig . Gen . George T . Anderson , to join the assault . Two of Anderson ' s regiments , the 7th and 8th Georgia , preceded Toombs ' s brigade into the assault and were subjected to a vigorous Federal counterattack by the 49th Pennsylvania and 43rd New York , losing 156 men . Aftermath . Union casualties were 189 , Confederate 438 . These were the only attacks south of the Chickahominy River in conjunction with Gaines ' s Mill , but they helped to convince McClellan that he was being subjected to attacks from all directions , increasing his anxiety and his determination to get his army to safety at the James . Lee ' s pursuit of the main bulk of McClellan ' s army continued on June 29 at the Battle of Savage ' s Station .