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Yorktown Campaign

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General McClellan moved the Army of Potomac to Fort Monroe. From there, his plan called for a rapid movement up the Peninsula, past the Confederate positions at Yorktown, and then on Towards Richmond– All this before sufficient Confederate reinforcements could arrive. McClellan however, undertook a seige of the fortress at Yorktown. The sige took one month. As the Union forces were ready to attack, the Confederates pulled out.

General McClellan developed a plan to advance on Richmond via the Peninsular. The plan called for the movement of the Army of the Potomac by sea to Ft Monroe at Hampton Road Virginia. Once there it called for a rapid movement up the peninsular before the Confederates could reinforce Richmond. President Lincoln reluctantly approved the plan, with the stipulation that enough troops be left behind to defend Washington and keep the Confederate army away from Northern Virginia. On April 1, McClellan embarked for Ft Monroe. After being told that McClellan had not left as many men behind as he was suppose to, Lincoln ordered the army of General McDowell be detached from McClellan and told to continue to operate in the Manssas area.
McDowells force contained 35,000. McClellan was furious by this action, and felt it crippled him. It may have, but only psychologically. McClellan had 85,000 troops in his army, facing a Confederate force of the time that numbered less then 15,000. McClellan was convinced that he faced an army larger then his own. Thus when his forces began moving up the Peninsular, and found the fortress at Yorktown a more formidable obstacle then expected, he decided to lay siege to it. It took one month to get the siege guns in place. During that time the Confederate army had plenty of time to reinforce the lines around Richmond. On May 3rd as McClellan was about to begin in bombardment- the confederates withdrew. On May 4th McClellan's army occupied the now empty Yorktown. Advance troops headed up to Williamsburg where they were met by a Confederate force. In a short fight the Union army lost 2,200 men and the Confederates 1,700.