The Peninsula Campaign Animated Map

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In the spring of 1862 during the American Civil War, Union armies invaded the South on nearly every front. General George B. McClellan’s army was the largest and most dangerous. His massive movements on the Virginia Peninsula were opposed by smaller but equally dangerous Confederate forces under General Joseph E. Johnston and Robert E. Lee. After moving his Army of the Potomac by boat to Fort Monroe in late April, McClellan began advancing his army “On to Richmond!" via the peninsula formed by the York and James rivers.

By June 1862, following its slow advance up the Peninsula, McClellan's army was so close to Richmond that Union soldiers could hear the church bells ring in the city. The end of the war seemed near at hand. But in a bold stroke, Robert E. Lee took the initiative, attacking the Union army in what would be known as the Seven Days' Battles.

This animated map brings the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War to life, complete with troop movement animations, narratives, and video.