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The Seven Days: The Emergence of Lee
“Dowdey brings to an encyclopedic knowledge of the facts a freshness that makes the story seem new.”—American Heritage
In the early spring of 1862, the Army of the Potomac invaded Virginia in the hopes of capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond and ending the war. Led by the lauded Gen. George McClellan, the Union forces landed in March—and the Confederates led by Joseph E. Johnston slowly but surely retreated toward Richmond. Defeat seemed inevitable.
But when Johnston was wounded and taken out of action, an intelligent but little-considered officer named Robert E. Lee replaced him—and nothing would ever be the same.
Taking advantage of McClellan’s slow reactions and overconfidence, Lee went on the attack, turning the tide with a combination of feints, harassing attacks, and tactical genius that soon had the Union army falling back. Over the course of one week, during which six battles were engaged, Lee outfought and out-thought his opponent at every turn, turning the great Peninsular Campaign into a humiliating defeat for the Union, proving his brilliance as a military leader—and dooming the nation to three more years of bloody warfare.
Here, those fateful days and Lee’s astounding generalship are explored as are the actions in military and political circles that ended the Union’s hope for quick victory, and unleashed one of the most brilliant military minds of all time onto the Civil War battlefields—and into history.
In the early spring of 1862, the Army of the Potomac invaded Virginia in the hopes of capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond and ending the war. Led by the lauded Gen. George McClellan, the Union forces landed in March—and the Confederates led by Joseph E. Johnston slowly but surely retreated toward Richmond. Defeat seemed inevitable.
But when Johnston was wounded and taken out of action, an intelligent but little-considered officer named Robert E. Lee replaced him—and nothing would ever be the same.
Taking advantage of McClellan’s slow reactions and overconfidence, Lee went on the attack, turning the tide with a combination of feints, harassing attacks, and tactical genius that soon had the Union army falling back. Over the course of one week, during which six battles were engaged, Lee outfought and out-thought his opponent at every turn, turning the great Peninsular Campaign into a humiliating defeat for the Union, proving his brilliance as a military leader—and dooming the nation to three more years of bloody warfare.
Here, those fateful days and Lee’s astounding generalship are explored as are the actions in military and political circles that ended the Union’s hope for quick victory, and unleashed one of the most brilliant military minds of all time onto the Civil War battlefields—and into history.
380 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1964
53 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Clifford Dowdey
85 books10 followersClifford Dowdey was born in Richmond, Virginia January 23, 1904 and died there May 30, 1979. The Richmond Newspapers, the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Richmond News Leader eulogized him as The Last Confederate. His father was descended from immigrants surnamed O'Dowda of County Galway, Ireland, and his mother from an English settler of Jamestown. His father worked for Western Union and his mother was a housewife. Four of his grandmother’s brothers were Confederate soldiers. His grandmother lived with his family until she died when Dowdey was age 19. Her reminiscences spurred his lifelong interest in the American Civil War and the history of Virginia.[1]
He attended Columbia University from 1921-1925. He worked for about a year as a newspaper reporter and book reviewer for the Richmond News Leader. He returned to New York City and worked as an editor for various pulp magazines (Munsey’s, Argosy and Dell) from 1926 to around 1935. About 1933 he started writing seriously on what eventually would become his first novel "Bugles Blow No More.” Leaving the magazines, he and his wife moved to Florida for a season and then to Richmond, Virginia where he finished the novel. For the rest of his life, he lived in Richmond and worked as a writer of historical fiction and history. He reviewed others' historical works in academic journals, such as "The Journal of Southern History" and " The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography." Even though he had no formal training as an historian several of his works received critical acclaim by noted historians. His historical novels were popular as evidenced by their being reviewed in "The New York Times."[2]
The circumstance of his first marriage is unknown. In an interview published in The New York Times July 13, 1941, he made reference to a wife as early as 1934 or 1935. On July 13, 1944, he married Frances Wilson, a clinical psychologist; she died July 1970.[3] He was the father of two daughters, Frances and Sarah.
He attended Columbia University from 1921-1925. He worked for about a year as a newspaper reporter and book reviewer for the Richmond News Leader. He returned to New York City and worked as an editor for various pulp magazines (Munsey’s, Argosy and Dell) from 1926 to around 1935. About 1933 he started writing seriously on what eventually would become his first novel "Bugles Blow No More.” Leaving the magazines, he and his wife moved to Florida for a season and then to Richmond, Virginia where he finished the novel. For the rest of his life, he lived in Richmond and worked as a writer of historical fiction and history. He reviewed others' historical works in academic journals, such as "The Journal of Southern History" and " The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography." Even though he had no formal training as an historian several of his works received critical acclaim by noted historians. His historical novels were popular as evidenced by their being reviewed in "The New York Times."[2]
The circumstance of his first marriage is unknown. In an interview published in The New York Times July 13, 1941, he made reference to a wife as early as 1934 or 1935. On July 13, 1944, he married Frances Wilson, a clinical psychologist; she died July 1970.[3] He was the father of two daughters, Frances and Sarah.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 20, 2021
“McClellan was in fact the most modern of generals then active: he was an executive. His talents were m [sic] organization and administration. But, as a general, McClellan hated to go near a battlefield.”
Most students of history know that George McClellan almost won the Civil War in the spring of 1862. This book explains why … and why not. A monumental effort, involving tracking every major unit of both armies, often with biographies of commanders down to the brigade level. Weather, ordnance and rations are detailed. Exhaustive maps.
“The next day the guns in the unfinished fort at Drewey’s Bluff, turned back the James River fleet of the U. S. Navy, nowhere in the war did so few accomplish so much in significance of the course of the war followed.” (Did you know? I didn’t, but find his judgment persuasive.)
Countless typos, perhaps due to OCR scanning of printed text, obscure the ebook.
“Joel Cook, correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, considered the misdirected shell that struck (then Confederate commander) Johnston ‘the saddest shot fired during the war. It changed the entire Rebel tactics. It took away incompetence, indecision and dissatisfaction and gave skillful generalship, excellent plans and good discipline.”
“One week from the day when, investing Richmond on two sides within five miles of its streets,” McClellan lost all but his ego. “At the end (of the war, Lee) was back where he had begun, penned up in works withstanding a siege whose result was made inevitable by arithmetic.”
Foreshadowed Gettysburg: Lee lost track of both his and the opposing armies; Stuart off somewhere else, Longstreet stolid, and Jackson no more engaged during Seven Days, despite his famous march to reach the battle site, than he would be at Gettysburg, after his death. “One year and two days later (actually thirteen months later, Confederate general Lew), Armistead led his same brigade to the enemy batteries on another hill, at Gettysburg, and fell mortally wounded with his hand on a Federal gun.”
I live less than a mile from the banks of the Chickahominy River. Dowdey’s descriptions are vivid enough that I had less trouble determining where each unit of the opposing armies were than they did than they did 150 years ago and 50 years after he wrote.
“Where McClellan abandoned the initiative by conceiving of every detail that could go wrong, Lee and his generals confidently agreed to seize the initiative by conceiving only of what could go right.” Both erred. “Lee’s improvised offensive sent his four columns of infantry on four roads to intercept McClellan where McClellan wasn’t going to be.” In the end, McClellan lost the engagement (“We only failed to win.”) more than Lee won it. (“Yes, he will get away because I can not have my orders carried out.”)
“It was as all through the Seven Days, Confederate infantry against Union guns, spirit against iron, and spirit was not enough in the open ground to be crossed.”
“For at the Seven Days, when the Army of Northern Virginia was born, the old America died, and the Union Lincoln and McClellan tried to restore became as lost in time as the traditional society Lee sought to preserve.”
Most students of history know that George McClellan almost won the Civil War in the spring of 1862. This book explains why … and why not. A monumental effort, involving tracking every major unit of both armies, often with biographies of commanders down to the brigade level. Weather, ordnance and rations are detailed. Exhaustive maps.
“The next day the guns in the unfinished fort at Drewey’s Bluff, turned back the James River fleet of the U. S. Navy, nowhere in the war did so few accomplish so much in significance of the course of the war followed.” (Did you know? I didn’t, but find his judgment persuasive.)
Countless typos, perhaps due to OCR scanning of printed text, obscure the ebook.
“Joel Cook, correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, considered the misdirected shell that struck (then Confederate commander) Johnston ‘the saddest shot fired during the war. It changed the entire Rebel tactics. It took away incompetence, indecision and dissatisfaction and gave skillful generalship, excellent plans and good discipline.”
“One week from the day when, investing Richmond on two sides within five miles of its streets,” McClellan lost all but his ego. “At the end (of the war, Lee) was back where he had begun, penned up in works withstanding a siege whose result was made inevitable by arithmetic.”
Foreshadowed Gettysburg: Lee lost track of both his and the opposing armies; Stuart off somewhere else, Longstreet stolid, and Jackson no more engaged during Seven Days, despite his famous march to reach the battle site, than he would be at Gettysburg, after his death. “One year and two days later (actually thirteen months later, Confederate general Lew), Armistead led his same brigade to the enemy batteries on another hill, at Gettysburg, and fell mortally wounded with his hand on a Federal gun.”
I live less than a mile from the banks of the Chickahominy River. Dowdey’s descriptions are vivid enough that I had less trouble determining where each unit of the opposing armies were than they did than they did 150 years ago and 50 years after he wrote.
“Where McClellan abandoned the initiative by conceiving of every detail that could go wrong, Lee and his generals confidently agreed to seize the initiative by conceiving only of what could go right.” Both erred. “Lee’s improvised offensive sent his four columns of infantry on four roads to intercept McClellan where McClellan wasn’t going to be.” In the end, McClellan lost the engagement (“We only failed to win.”) more than Lee won it. (“Yes, he will get away because I can not have my orders carried out.”)
“It was as all through the Seven Days, Confederate infantry against Union guns, spirit against iron, and spirit was not enough in the open ground to be crossed.”
“For at the Seven Days, when the Army of Northern Virginia was born, the old America died, and the Union Lincoln and McClellan tried to restore became as lost in time as the traditional society Lee sought to preserve.”
May 21, 2021
Although this book was originally published in the 1960's, it has withstood the test of time. The author posits that the Seven Days' campaign was actually the turning point of the war. He goes on to explain the key factors that influenced the outcome of the campaign, including Lee's poor staff work and the puzzling lethargy of Jackson. Overall a very good campaign study and a necessary stepping stone for anyone looking to learn more about the Seven Days' campaign.
June 20, 2024
A fascinating study of an often overlooked campaign.
Dowdey provides several intriguing thesis about the campaign and the officers in command. Was McClellan a coward or misunderstood? Was Jackson refusing to cooperate with Lee or was he experiencing a health crisis? Were the various failures on both sides the result of gross incompetence or the result of inexperience (or a combination of the two)?
Dowdey provides several intriguing thesis about the campaign and the officers in command. Was McClellan a coward or misunderstood? Was Jackson refusing to cooperate with Lee or was he experiencing a health crisis? Were the various failures on both sides the result of gross incompetence or the result of inexperience (or a combination of the two)?
May 31, 2020
Referring to the wounding of General Joseph Johnston at Fair Oaks in 1862 and the subsequent ascendancy of Robert E. Lee to command, correspondent Joel Cook of the Philadelphia Press wrote that the shell that incapacitated Johnston was "the saddest shot fired during the war. It changed the entire Rebel tactics. It took away incompetence, indecision and dissatisfaction and gave skillful generalship, excellent plans and good discipline."
An interesting quote but indicative of what was to come later of the Army of Northern Virginia not what happened on the Peninsula during the "Seven Days." Both sides were guilty of indecision, lack of initiative, poor leadership, political interference, poor intelligence and faulty communication.
Lee, just stepping into field command, is victimized by the lack of good staff work and the unknown quantities of his subordinates. Despite the good intentions of striking at blow at McClellan's army for the purpose of driving him away from Richmond it comes down to this. McClellan did more to not engage in a decisive battle and preserve his precious army than Lee did in trying to come to grips with the Army of the Potomac.
One unsettling thing I learned about was the "stress fatigue" that "Stonewall" Jackson was undergoing at the time of this campaign. The author goes to great lengths to show that Jackson's poor performance was a result of the pressures and exhaustion he had been subjected to since the end of his 1862 Valley campaign. Also at this point, Lee and Jackson were cooperating for the first time and unfortunately "old Blue Light" was not up to the reputation the commanding general expected. Of course, that changes over time.
Having never really read a book devoted to this campaign before I found it interesting and I'm encouraged to see what else I have in my library that pertains to the subject. I'd also like to mention that this volume was acquired from the library of the late military historian, Dr. Richard Sommers. It was made available by the United States Army Historical & Education Center, Carlisle, PA.
An interesting quote but indicative of what was to come later of the Army of Northern Virginia not what happened on the Peninsula during the "Seven Days." Both sides were guilty of indecision, lack of initiative, poor leadership, political interference, poor intelligence and faulty communication.
Lee, just stepping into field command, is victimized by the lack of good staff work and the unknown quantities of his subordinates. Despite the good intentions of striking at blow at McClellan's army for the purpose of driving him away from Richmond it comes down to this. McClellan did more to not engage in a decisive battle and preserve his precious army than Lee did in trying to come to grips with the Army of the Potomac.
One unsettling thing I learned about was the "stress fatigue" that "Stonewall" Jackson was undergoing at the time of this campaign. The author goes to great lengths to show that Jackson's poor performance was a result of the pressures and exhaustion he had been subjected to since the end of his 1862 Valley campaign. Also at this point, Lee and Jackson were cooperating for the first time and unfortunately "old Blue Light" was not up to the reputation the commanding general expected. Of course, that changes over time.
Having never really read a book devoted to this campaign before I found it interesting and I'm encouraged to see what else I have in my library that pertains to the subject. I'd also like to mention that this volume was acquired from the library of the late military historian, Dr. Richard Sommers. It was made available by the United States Army Historical & Education Center, Carlisle, PA.
November 18, 2025
This nonfiction history book describes in detail the seven days of battles on the Peninsula of Virginia between the Union Army and the Confederate Army in the Summer of 1862. It also incorporates the late spring battle near Richmond Virgina known as the battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines. This prelude battle to the Seven Days fighting set the stage for a titanic struggle that pushed back the Union Army from the very outskirts of Richmond (the Confederacy’s capital). In this preliminary battle, the Confederate Army commander, Joseph E. Johnston, was badly wounded, which resulted in Robert E. Lee’s ascension to the Confederate army commander, a position he held for the next 3 years. This history book has vivid and detailed descriptions of events on those battlefields. Those descriptions cover both the strategic and tactical situations that occurred for both armies. Unfortunately, the author did not provide footnotes to support his conclusions. At least a couple of times the author’s conclusions differ from primarily accepted beliefs about decisions made during these battles. One example is the author’s conclusion that Confederate General A. P. Hill did not act “impatiently” when he ordered the fighting at Beaver Dam Creek to commence without waiting for General Jackson’s division to show up and participate in a joint assault on the Union forces as ordered by General Lee. The author provides some reasons why he doesn’t think that was a poor decision by General Hill, but the author provides no footnotes to support his theory. Of course, Jackson’s division never participated in the battle, and the Confederates suffered many casualties as a result.
The main point in these battles is that neither of these large armies had yet learned to coordinate their actions during battles. Plus, the proper use and coordination of cavalry units with infantry units hadn’t been achieved yet. No one in the U.S. Army prior to the Civil War had any experience in handling large armies during major battles. Thus, communication and cooperation between units of the large armies was basically nonexistent. As such, many costly mistakes were made by both sides. These costly mistakes led to many battlefield casualties.
The main point in these battles is that neither of these large armies had yet learned to coordinate their actions during battles. Plus, the proper use and coordination of cavalry units with infantry units hadn’t been achieved yet. No one in the U.S. Army prior to the Civil War had any experience in handling large armies during major battles. Thus, communication and cooperation between units of the large armies was basically nonexistent. As such, many costly mistakes were made by both sides. These costly mistakes led to many battlefield casualties.
June 24, 2023
A good narrative history of the Seven Days battles (as well as nearly 150 pages of prelude), albeit one that will appeal only to buffs. The author liberally seasons the narrative with his opinions but readers will have no trouble recognizing them and deciding how much weight to give them. Although the author's pro-Confederate bias is well-known and is evident throughout the book, it does not seem to impair his judgment of the conduct of the Confederate generals, of whom (including Lee) he is highly critical.
There are more recent and more scholarly studies of the battles, making this book of interest primarily to completists and to those poor souls who seemingly never tire of reading Civil War history.
There are more recent and more scholarly studies of the battles, making this book of interest primarily to completists and to those poor souls who seemingly never tire of reading Civil War history.
May 10, 2018
Mr. Dowdey presents a case that both Lee and McCleland had their chances to defeat the other's army and failed. A victory by either commander would have drastically altered American history as we know it. This is a must-read for fans of Lee or the U.S. Civil War period.
February 6, 2020
Very good but flawed
A very good cover of the material but the misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, and less than acceptable formatting became a distraction to the sound quality of the work.
A very good cover of the material but the misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, and less than acceptable formatting became a distraction to the sound quality of the work.
April 24, 2022
A somewhat dated, but very detailed and well-organized examination of the epic battles outside of Richmond, Virginia in late June to early July 1862.
October 8, 2024
I couldn’t make it through the Lost Cause drivel. The attempt to justify the actions of the US Army’s worst field general, McClellan, was just the icing on the cake.
Read
January 2, 2017It was a fast and interesting read. Once you start reading the book you will not want to put it down. It is not a book full of dry and endless details. Good book for the beach or mountains. In a short time you will learn about all the battles of the Seven Days.
September 30, 2010
If you read or study the Civil War, this book is a very good guide on the "Seven Days" battles around Richmond in June-July, 1862. Mr. Dowdey is opinionated and certainly takes several people to task on both sides of the conflict. Initially, I was concerned his reverance for Robert E. Lee might color the book too much, but in the end, he was fair and pointed out both good and bad things Lee did during the battle. The detail is good and the research seems to be complete with few areas left uncovered. He attempts to answer many questions on why things happened the way they did and to respond to why somethings didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone that is interested in the topic.
August 31, 2018
A terrific, detailed, erudite study of this unappreciated campaign of The War Between the States. It started with McClellan hoping to convince the Confederacy that the North's overwhelming resources made rebellion futile (ala the Howe brothers). He wanted things settled with as little damage and bloodshed as possible; perhaps this explains his unwillingness to fight. Problem was that post-Johnston, newly minted Southern commander R.E. Lee WAS willing to fight. At the end of the week, hope for a restrained solution was vanquished, and the war's bitter and tragic consequences were set on their course. How very sad.
September 15, 2016
Though the publication date on the copy I have in 1993, a closer look reveals it is reprinted from 1964. Robert Krick adds an introduction to this edition, but the main work seems unchanged.
On the one hand, this book has a good focus on the command difficulties on both sides and the writing style was okay. But Dowdey has some strong bias, both pro-Southern and quite hostile to certain people like Jeff Davis and Joe Johnston and almost amusingly pro-McClellan. Parts of this book are painful slanted or outdated and I finally gave up on it and moved on to newer works on the subject.
On the one hand, this book has a good focus on the command difficulties on both sides and the writing style was okay. But Dowdey has some strong bias, both pro-Southern and quite hostile to certain people like Jeff Davis and Joe Johnston and almost amusingly pro-McClellan. Parts of this book are painful slanted or outdated and I finally gave up on it and moved on to newer works on the subject.
May 22, 2014
I would only recommend this book for someone who already has some knowledge of the campaign since there are some good insights here, but you have to know enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, working through the book and separating the wheat from the chaff isn't disagreeable since the writing is first-rate.
November 17, 2020
Though out of date, this book is well-written and still quite likeable. A good introduction to the battles before Richmond at the beginning of the Civil War.
January 1, 2016
A little hard to get through. The writing was dry and at times a bit confusing with his depiction battle geography. The book needs more maps. Overall not bad.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews