Yorktown VA009
1862-04-05 to 1862-05-04 · VA · Peninsula Campaign [March-July 1862] · frozen result: Inconclusive · NPS summary (as listed)
Marching from Fort Monroe, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's army encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate army at Yorktown behind the Warwick River. Magruder's theatrics convinced the Federals that his works were strongly held. McClellan suspended the march up the Peninsula toward Richmond, ordered the construction of siege fortifications, and brought his heavy siege guns to the front. In the meantime, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston brought reinforcements for Magruder. On 16 April, Union forces probed a weakness in the Confederate line at Lee's Mill or Dam No. 1, resulting in about 309 casualties. Failure to exploit the initial success of this attack, however, held up McClellan for two additional weeks, while he tried to convince his navy to maneuver the Confederates' big guns at Yorktown and Gloucester Point and ascend the York River to West Point thus outflanking the Warwick Line. McClellan planned for a massive bombardment to begin at dawn on May 4, but the Confederate army slipped away in the night toward Williamsburg.
Dossier claims
Draft dossier, revision . Claims are extraction records with their quoted passages, not historical adjudication. JSON
information
unknownunresolved
No original reconnaissance, order or message chain was inspected to establish the commanders’ contemporary knowledge. Retrospective explanations of beliefs, surprise or missed opportunities are not independently verified information states.
logistics
supportedunresolved Webb reproduces Keyes’s April 5 statement that wagons had not arrived and that he would need to halt for reserve infantry ammunition.
Attributed quoted correspondence within a retrospective history; original message and receipt were not inspected. This is an approach constraint, not a readiness score or proof of the cause of the entire siege.
Our wagons did not arrive last night, and we shall be obliged to halt at Warwick Court House for the infantry reserve ammunition to come up.webb-peninsula-selections-v1, pp.44–45 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
3be92161e849…objectives
supportedunresolved NPS describes an advance toward Richmond being suspended for siege works and heavy guns.
An operational sequence, not independently inspected original success criteria. The later withdrawal from Yorktown does not prove attainment of every intended objective.
McClellan suspended the march up the Peninsula toward Richmond, ordered the construction of siege fortifications, and brought his heavy siege guns to the front.nps-va009-v1, Description · snapshot
7ed0d0f753ec…outcome
supportedpost_outcome The frozen result remains Inconclusive.
Retain the frozen outcome and engagement interval. A tactical result, later retreat, success at a local sector and campaign contribution are different measures. No causal effect, half-win or extra independent victory is inferred.
disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 320 total. The live NPS table reads 482 total (US 182; CS 300;).
Preserve source versions and population boundaries. No original return was inspected to reconcile totals, categories, missing side breakdowns or reporting cutoffs. A zero display is not no losses; casualties and captured hospital populations are not opening strength. Do not add overlapping battle/component totals.
responsibility
supportedunresolved NPS assigns the siege decision to McClellan, the initial Confederate position to Magruder, and reinforcement to Johnston.
Different command roles, not equal outcome credit; no effective command-transfer clock is established.
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston brought reinforcements for Magruder.nps-va009-v1, Description · snapshot
7ed0d0f753ec…strength
unknownunresolved
No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical bounds are blank; zero displays, vessel lists, combined army totals and later casualties cannot fill them.
disputedunresolved The frozen force field reads Armies; the live NPS table reads 0 total (US 0; CS 0;).
These are source fields, not matched opening returns. Preserve vessel versus personnel units, unspecified formations and combined versus side totals. Shared NPS/CWSAC provenance supplies no independent confirmation; displayed zeros are not measured absence.
terrain
supportedunresolved NPS places Magruder’s defenses behind the Warwick River.
Source-described position only; fortification work may be commander-created, so no inherited terrain score is admitted.
Magruder's small Confederate army at Yorktown behind the Warwick River.nps-va009-v1, Description · snapshot
7ed0d0f753ec…Open questions
- Original orders, personnel and casualty returns, contemporary message chains, disputed totals and precise command clocks remain deferred after the bounded follow-up. No OCR-to-print or map verification is claimed.
- Keep opening, reinforced, engaged, hospital, captured and vessel populations distinct. Source fields and retrospective judgments do not establish causal contributions.
- Preserve frozen outcomes and campaign membership, including combined/component rows; no automatic commander credit or battle/campaign double counting.