Second Day at Seven Pines
Posted by: 
archway
N 37° 31.824 W 077° 18.786
18S E 295613 N 4156228
The Battle of Seven Pines took place May 31 and June 1, 1862.
Waymark Code: WM7W96
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2009
Views: 2
Confederate records call the battle here the Battle of Seven Pines since that is where they did their best fighting. Federal records refer to it as the Battle of Fair Oaks for the same reason. These two named crossroads are near each other, but the heaviest fighting took place at Seven Pines.
Most of the fighting on the second day of the Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), occurred near here on 1 June 1862. Confederate Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith, who had assumed command following the wounding of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston the evening before, resumed the attack in the morning. When the Union defenses proved too strong, the Confederates disengaged and retired to their original lines. Gen. Robert E. Lee, who already had been assigned to command the Confederate troops in front of Richmond early in the day, assumed that command when Smith collapsed from exhaustion during the afternoon.