Reference Entry
BATTLE OF GLENDALE
As the Peninsula Campaign turned sour for the Union in the summer of 1862, the Army of the Potomac tried to slip away toward the James River, its supply line and safety. On June 30th, 1862, near the crossroads at Glendale and the woods around Frayser’s Farm, Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee launched a complex attack meant to cut the retreating Union column in two.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Battle of Glendale (Frayser’s Farm)
As the Peninsula Campaign turned sour for the Union in the summer of 1862, the Army of the Potomac tried to slip away toward the James River, its supply line and safety. On June 30th, 1862, near the crossroads at Glendale and the woods around Frayser’s Farm, Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee launched a complex attack meant to cut the retreating Union column in two. Miscommunication and difficult terrain kept Confederate divisions from striking in perfect coordination, but several Union brigades fought desperate, seesaw actions to hold key roads and bridges. Casualties were heavy on both sides, with artillery duels and close-range infantry clashes leaving fields littered with dead and wounded. Tactically, the battle ended without a clear decision, yet it kept the Union army under pressure and set up the last major clash of the Seven Days. Glendale showed how fragile large Civil War armies could be when moving under fire, and how much campaigns could hinge on orders misunderstood or delivered too late.
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