MAY 27, 1862:
The Battle of Hanover Court House.
McClellan’s Peninsular
Campaign continued to grind slowly forward. A Union force of 12,000 met a
Confederate force of 4,000 and, after a sharp firefight, routed them, opening a
route for expected Union reinforcements to advance up the Peninsula. General
McClellan announced it as a "glorious victory over superior numbers…one of
the handsomest things of the war."
In fact, the Union attack was
disorganized and ill-coordinated; the battle was won by sheer overwhelming
numbers. Still, afraid of being attacked by the phantom Confederate army he
envisioned, McClellan did not exploit his “glorious victory” at Hanover Court
House, instead choosing to await reinforcements. The expected reinforcements
never arrived; after Front Royal, they were reassigned to the Shenandoah
Valley.
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