Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up: The Seven Days’ Battles, June 25-July 1, 1862

by Doug Crenshaw

In the spring of 1862, the largest army ever assembled on the North American continent landed in Virginia, on the peninsula between the James and York Rivers, and proceeded to march toward Richmond. Between that army and the capital of the Confederate States of America, an outnumbered Confederate force did all in its feeble power to resist—but all it could do was slow, not stop, the juggernaut.To Southerners, the war, not yet a year old, looked lost. The Confederate government prepared to evacuate the city. The citizenry prepared for the worst.And then the war turned.During battle at a place called Seven Pines, an artillery shell wounded Confederate commander Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. His replacement, Gen. Robert E. Lee, stabilized the army, fended off the Federals, and then fortified the capital. “Richmond must not be given up!” he vowed, tears in his eyes. “It shall not be given up!”Federal commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, confident of success, found himself unexpectedly hammered by a newly aggressive, newly emboldened foe. For seven days, Lee planned ambitious attacks and launched them, one after another, hoping not just to drive Federals from the gates of Richmond but to obliterate them entirely.In Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up, historian Doug Crenshaw follows a battle so desperate that, ever-after, soldiers would remember that week simply as The Seven Days.McClellan reeled. The tide of war turned. The Army of Northern Virginia was born.

Genres: American Civil War, Civil War

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2017

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seven Days Battles In The Emerging Civil War Series

Savas Beatie's "Emerging Civil War Series" publishes short photographic histories of battles and events of the American Civil War. The books are designed to be useful to readers who lack broad background knowledge of the Civil War. This recent book in the series, "Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up" (2017) by Doug Crenshaw offers an accessible, informative account of the Seven Days' Battles which took place outside Richmond from June 25 -- July 1, 1862. Crenshaw is a volunteer historical interpreter for the Richmond National Battlefield Park. He is the author of a study of the battle of Glendale, a pivotal moment of the Seven Days. Savas Beatie kindly sent me a copy of this book for review.

By way of background, George McClellan commanded the Union Army of the Potomac, which he had organized and made an effective fighting force, McClellan had transported by water a large Union force to the peninsula between the James and York Rivers, but he proved slow in moving on Richmond. On May 31, 1862, Confederate general Joseph Johnston was wounded in a battle designed to slow McClellan's inexorable advance. Richmond was threatened and Jefferson Davis promoted Robert E. Lee to command the Confederate forces. The Seven Days Battles which followed was Lee's desperate attempt to protect Richmond.

Crenshaw's book is a history of the Seven Days arranged as a driving tour. It begins with the events which led Davis on June 1, 1862, to place Lee in command of the increasingly threatening situation facing Richmond. Crenshaw offers a chronological account of the Seven Days with discussions of each of the major battles. Readers may be surprised to learn about the large size of both the Union and Confederate Armies at this early stage of the war. Lee wanted not only to drive the Army of the Potomac away from Richmond but also to destroy the Union army. He succeeded in his first goal but failed in the second. Lee's efforts were hindered by the lack of organization of the Confederate army, poor coordination among subordinate commanders, lack of knowledge of the terrain, and strong efforts by Union commanders subordinate to McClellan. The carnage of the battles was enormous.

The history of the Seven Days unfolds with drama. Crenshaw both gives an overview of the goals of both armies and also explores carefully each of the battles of the Seven Days. For example, he describes the large Confederate attack at Gaines's Mill with a force four times as large as that involved in Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. He offers a good description of the climactic battle of Glendale, in which poor coordination deprived Lee of his best opportunity to destroy the Union army. For a final example, Crenshaw describes the slaughter that resulted when the Confederates tried to advance on the heavily fortified Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862 in one of the most ill-advised attacks of the war. Crenshaw offers a good view of the commanders on both sides of the line, including Stonewall Jackson who was ineffective during this series of battles.

The book places the Seven Days in the context of the war as it shows how it contributed to Emancipation and to a harsher conflict than either side had anticipated. Excellent images and maps enhance the text. Crenshaw discusses the efforts of preservationists to save and restore the battlefields which, for many years, had been neglected with the expansion of Richmond. An appendix to the book describes Jeb Stuart and his cavalry's ride around the Union army which became critical to Lee's plans. The book includes Order of Battle (with a typo giving the date as 1864) and a good, short bibliography for readers wanting to learn more about the Seven Days.

Robin Friedman

[Matthew Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Emerging Civil War Series has introduced many readers across the country to specific cites of the American Civil War. For all of the writing which has been done, I was surprised that the Seven Day’s Battles had not yet been covered. Thanks to Doug Crenshaw, Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up is the book from that series which strives to bring an introductory treatment to the Seven Day’s Battles. Personally, I don’t think those battles get enough attention as it is, but that is only myself as a Civil War reader. While we focus greatly on the Battles of Antietam and Second Manassas, this book gives us some much needed information regarding the actions between the dates of June 25 to July 1, 1862
Doug Crenshaw is a volunteer historic interpreter at the Richmond National Battlefield Park. As a member of the Richmond Civil War Roundtable, Doug is a speaker, presenter, tour guide, and author of books on both Glendale and Fort Harrison. He is a descendant of the Sydnor family from Beaver Dam Creek during that battle, and the Binford family, who lived in the area of Malvern Hill. He has also written Fort Harrison and the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, and The Battle of Glendale: Robert E. Lee’s Lost Opportunity.
As it is with all of the Emerging Civil War Series books, there is great appreciation for the photographs, maps, and even drawings placed on every page. As an introductory to these engagements, they are greatly needed for those who know little. For myself, one of the most interesting parts about the Seven Day’s Battles as a whole was when Lee took command before the conflicts. That portion of the work was handled quite well as the narrative places a great emphasis on his leadership. The other portion which was also handled well was the subject of General McClellan and how his own ego would be bruised in these fights. In my own personal studies, I have found many mentions of the Seven Days Battles and I enjoyed the narrative and explanations of them more so than other parts of the book. I felt that the narrative written by Crenshaw brought more light to the subject at hand. As usual in the Emerging Civil War Series, there are appendices which fall into the book, only three for this installment, and also driving instructions for the reader if they were to take this volume with them to the battlefield.
Once again, the Emerging Civil War Series hits it out of the park with this one. I highly recommend this book to students who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the Seven Day’s Battles and the events which would lead the fall of 1862. There are not enough books about these engagements and I thank Crenshaw for bringing this introductory study to light here. After reading this book, I know I will personally seek out his other works on these conflicts, hoping to gain a deeper understanding myself. Highly Recommended!

Matthew Bartlett

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the book coinciding with a family visit in the area. Today, we visited Malvern Hill, Gaines Mill, and Beaver Dam Creek. Clearly, the Union commander ( McCelland ) was too focused on establishing a base of operations around the James River, to the detriment of the battle strategy. He eventually paid a price losing his command post later. On the other hand, Lee gained notoriety with his success holding down Richmond as the confederate capital city. In the end, and later, he paid the price ( of sustaining Richmond ) and didn’t have the resources to match the Union capability. McCelland’s tentativeness cost the Union’s opportunity to end the war in 1862 ( which extended to 1864 ).

[Pat Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Emerging Civil War Series volumes are so good, and for short books, pack a lot of information into each title. Haven’t read anything from this series that was not very well done. I highly recommend any of the 50+ volumes in the series. You will not regret reading this series of books.

[Sheritta Bitikofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never have I been more thankful for the dedication that the Emerging Civil War authors put into their books. Doug expertly takes the Seven Days Battle and somehow manages to cram it all together into one book, seamlessly jumping from one engagement to the next. The chapters and flow of the book are so easy to follow and I've never read the battle explained so smoothly in any other book. The exact directions for the driving tour is a GODSEND! The Richmond Battlefield Park Service is wonderful, but due to the expansive nature of their many property holdings, it's hard to give exact directions to each and every place one wants to visit for the Seven Days Battle. Doug did! I think it helps that he volunteers with the park. I know we would have been lost otherwise when we took the tour ourselves. An amazing book that gives a detailed account of the battle and its important placement in the grand scheme of Civil War battles. We were able to visit the Tredegar museum and all the tour stops before dusk since we started out at about 10am. I advise you make a day of it if you want to take the tour in its entirety.