In the late Spring of 1862, a massive Union Army led by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan steadily advanced on the vulnerable Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia. Expecting success, the two armies clashed at Seven Pines in a bloody battle that saw thousands of casualties that shocked both sides in this early war engagement. Learn about the two-day fight around a small railroad depot during McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign from Museum educator John Maass and how it altered the Union campaign.

 

John R. Maass, Ph.D. is an education specialist and military historian at the National Museum of the United States Army. He received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in early U.S. history and military history. His most recent book is “From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War” (2025).

 

Register for the virtual Battle Brief at 7 p.m.