Battle of Hanover Court House

Coordinates: 37°43′20″N 77°22′35″W / 37.7222°N 77.3763°W / 37.7222; -77.3763
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Battle of Hanover Court House
Part of the
Alfred R. Waud, artist, May 27, 1862.
DateMay 27, 1862 (1862-05-27)
Location
Hanover County, Virginia
Result
Union
victory
Belligerents
United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Fitz John Porter Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
Strength
12,000[1] 4,000[1]
Casualties and losses
355–397 930

The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27, 1862, in

Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War
.

On May 27, elements of Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter's V Corps extended north to protect the right flank of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac. Porter's objective was to deal with a Confederate force near Hanover Court House, which threatened the avenue of approach for Union reinforcements that were marching south from Fredericksburg. The smaller Confederate force, under Colonel Lawrence O'Bryan Branch, was defeated at Peake's Crossing after a disorganized fight.

The Union victory was moot, however, since the Union reinforcements were recalled to Fredericksburg upon word of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks's rout in the Shenandoah Valley at the First Battle of Winchester.

Background

Further information:
Hanover Court House order of battle

Confederate General

Irwin McDowell, scheduled to march south from Fredericksburg to reinforce his army, and thus needed to protect their avenue of approach.[2]

Peninsula Campaign, map of events up to the Battle of Seven Pines.
  Confederate
  Union

The Army of the Potomac pushed slowly up the Pamunkey and established supply bases at Eltham's Landing, Cumberland Landing, and White House Landing. White House, the plantation of

W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee, son of General Robert E. Lee, became McClellan's base of operations. Using the Richmond and York River Railroad, McClellan could bring his heavy siege artillery to the outskirts of Richmond. He moved slowly and deliberately, reacting to faulty intelligence that led him to believe the Confederates outnumbered him significantly. By the end of May, the army had built bridges across the Chickahominy and was facing Richmond, straddling the river, with one third of the Army south of the river, two thirds north. (This disposition, which made it difficult for one part of the army to reinforce the other quickly, would prove to be a significant problem in the upcoming Battle of Seven Pines).[3]

While skirmishing occurred all along the line between the armies, McClellan heard a rumor from a Virginia civilian that a Confederate force of 17,000 was moving to Hanover Court House, north of Mechanicsville. If this were true, it would threaten the army's right flank and complicate the arrival of McDowell's reinforcements. A Union cavalry reconnaissance adjusted the estimate of the enemy strength to be 6,000, but it was still cause for concern. McClellan ordered his close friend, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter, commander of the newly formed V Corps, to deal with the threat.[4]

Porter departed on his mission at 4 a.m. on May 27 with his 1st Division, under Brig. Gen. George W. Morell, the 3rd Brigade of Brig. Gen. George Sykes's 2nd Division, under Colonel Gouverneur K. Warren, and a composite brigade of cavalry and artillery led by Brig. Gen. William H. Emory, altogether about 12,000 men. The Confederate force, which actually numbered about 4,000 men, was led by Col. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch, and included the 7th, 18th, 28th, and 37th North Carolina Infantry regiments, and the 45th Georgia Infantry. They had departed from Gordonsville to guard the Virginia Central Railroad, taking up position at Peake's Crossing, 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of the courthouse, near Slash Church. Another Confederate brigade was stationed 10 miles (16 km) north at Hanover Junction.[5]

Battle

Map Illustrating the Battle of Hanover, Virginia.
Engagement Near Hanover Court-House, Virginia.

Porter's men approached Peake's Crossing in a driving rain. At about noon on May 27, his lead element, the 25th New York Infantry, encountered Col. James H. Lane's 28th North Carolina on a reconnaissance patrol at the farm owned by Dr. Thomas H. Kinney. The New Yorkers, along with the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, skirmished briskly with the Confederates until Porter's main body arrived, driving the outnumbered Rebels up the road in the direction of the courthouse. Porter set out in pursuit with most of his force, leaving three regiments (the 2nd Maine, the 44th New York, and the damaged 25th New York), under the command of Brig. Gen. John H. Martindale, to guard the New Bridge and Hanover Court House Roads intersection, a mile to the west of Kinney's farm. This movement exposed the rear of Porter's command to attack by the bulk of Branch's force, which Porter had mistakenly assumed was at Hanover Court House.[6]

Branch also made the poor assumption that Porter's force was significantly smaller than it turned out to be and so he attacked. Col. Charles C. Lee led his own regiment, the 37th North Carolina, along with the

18th North Carolina and two cannons from Latham's Battery. An initial assault by the 18th was repulsed, but when the 37th joined in, Martindale's force was almost destroyed by the heavy fire. The 44th New York suffered 25% casualties and its battle flag received 44 bullet holes.[7]

When messengers reached Porter with news of the engagement, he quickly dispatched the 9th Massachusetts and

62nd Pennsylvania regiments back to the Kinney Farm. The Confederate line broke under the weight of thousands of new troops and they retreated back through Peake's Crossing to Ashland
.

Aftermath

General McClellan claimed that Hanover Court House was yet another "glorious victory over superior numbers" and judged that it was "one of the handsomest things of the war."

Lincoln administration to recall McDowell to Fredericksburg. The estimates of Union casualties vary, from 355 (62 killed, 233 wounded, 70 captured) to 397. The Confederates left 200 dead and wounded on the field and 730 were captured by Porter's cavalry.[9]

A greater impact than the actual casualties, according to historian Stephen W. Sears, was the effect on McClellan's preparedness for the next major battle, at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks four days later. During the absence of Porter, McClellan was reluctant to move more of his troops south of the Chickahominy, which made his left flank a more attractive target for Johnston.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Kennedy, p. 92.
  2. ^ Salmon, p. 88; Eicher, pp. 273-74; Sears, pp. 95-97.
  3. ^ Salmon, p. 90; Sears, pp. 104-06.
  4. ^ Salmon, p. 90; Sears, pp. 113-14.
  5. ^ Eicher, p. 275; Salmon, p. 90.
  6. ^ Sears, p. 114; Salmon, pp. 90-91.
  7. ^ Sears, p. 116; Salmon, p. 91.
  8. ^ a b Sears, p. 117.
  9. ^ Eicher, 276; Sears, p. 117; Salmon, p. 91; Kennedy, p. 92.

References

Further reading

37°43′20″N 77°22′35″W / 37.7222°N 77.3763°W / 37.7222; -77.3763

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