Battle of Eltham's Landing
| Battle of Eltham's Landing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy)
|
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William B. Franklin |
G. W. Smith William H. C. Whiting |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 11,300 | 11,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 194 | 48 | ||||||
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 brigades 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.
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.
...
Wikipedia