The Day General Magruder Calls for Help 

Here on the Peninsula we say “war’ick”

We've never played this action in the club but would love to. We will add it to the list! It's often overlooked but was very critical for the Peninsula later. Had the Federals not been driven back into Fort Monroe, they could have kept a closer eye on Magruder's works.

And indeed Richmond did so--many of the rebel earthworks were built by slave labor. And not just here along the Warwick...African American slaves were forced to build fortifications up much of the Peninsula toward Richmond. Fort Monroe has an interesting history as a place of safe harbor for escaping slaves who managed to make it across Union lines to the tip of the Peninsula.

Magruder was a broken clock. He was constantly asking for reinforcements, since well before this. Lee, who was directing operations, believed the troops moving to Fort Monroe were only staging there before reinforcing Burnside. The big moment is the demonstration of the 27th, which completely alters the campaign...

Quite a fascinating personality and historical figure!

"Prince John" is the nickname that commonly appears in historical sources. It appears to be largely due to his lifestyle and less about the attitude. Magruder was a heavy gambler, partier, and liked to spend his money on fine clothing.

Thanks, we had a great time doing something a little different and spending more time unpacking the history. Usually we do quick historical overviews and then focus on the games. This time we flipped the script and did the opposite--mostly history with some gaming.

Magruder's "marching in circles" is well documented beyond McPherson's book. Stephen Sears' "To the Gates of Richmond" has original source material and letters from 1862 that directly collaborate this story. When in doubt, we stick with primary sources and leading historians on the period. Sears is an authority on this topic.

@@LittleWarsTV Sears is an interesting character. Let us not discuss that he was flat out caught distorting facts over McClellan telegraphic messages on 13th September, for example. Sears gives four pieces of evidence, which are contradictory and do not support this thesis: 1. The diary of Edmund DeWitt Patterson (11th Alabama), which does not mention any deception whatsoever (and was the only piece of evidence for a deception used by Ken Burns, despite not mentioning any deception). 2. A post-facto letter from Lt Robert H Miller to his unionist uncle claiming the entire Warwick Line was only defended by three regiments, and that his regiment (14th La) marched up and down the whole length of the line six times, and that they didn't sleep for weeks because that was all they were doing. Miller also wrote a letter to his mother (not mentioned by Sears) on the 9th April with a more factual account of affairs; after they left the old battery at Ship Point on the 27th March (due to Porter's division demonstrating) they marched 9 miles to Dam No. 1 on the Warwick Line, dug trenches there, and hadn't left them since, eating and sleeping in them. That account is far more believable. 3. The diary of Capt. Jas. McMath (11th Alabama) mentioned that they moved down to Wynn's Mill at the double quick on the 5th April, and returned to Lee's Mill a few hours later (this movement is mentioned in Magruder's AAR, and was a response to one of Martindale's regiments pushing forward a recce to 1,000 yds from the Warwick) 4. Mary Chesnut's diary, which is a simply a repetition of some of Magruder's hyperbole a few months after the event after it was in the Richmond papers. In sum, Sears does not offer any single creditable source to support the idea that Magruder deceived McClellan. He has two officers of the 11th Alabama mention that they were repositioned on the 5th in response to a new perceived threat, the musings of a Richmond socialite, and some obvious hyperbole to taunt a unionist relative which was contradicted by that persons more honest writings. That's why you need to actually follow up footnotes.

Hah, interesting you say that. When it came time to actually fight battles later in this campaign, Magruder does not fare quite so well. His performance is something of a mystery. Early in the Peninsula campaign he's a rock star, but that star dims awfully fast....