Sword Over Richmond: An Eyewitness History of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign | Richard Wheeler | Used

Experience the Peninsula Campaign Through the Words of Those Who Witnessed It

Sword Over Richmond by Richard Wheeler presents an eyewitness history of Major General George B. McClellan’s controversial 1862 Peninsula Campaign during the American Civil War.

Using accounts from soldiers, officers, civilians, journalists, and other observers, Wheeler reconstructs the Union effort to capture Richmond by advancing up the Virginia Peninsula. These firsthand perspectives place readers alongside the Army of the Potomac as it moves from preparation and high expectations to battlefield confusion, heavy casualties, and eventual withdrawal.

The result is an engaging narrative that combines military history with the personal experiences of those who participated in or witnessed the campaign.

McClellan’s Attempt to Capture Richmond

After taking command of the Army of the Potomac, McClellan developed an ambitious plan to bypass the Confederate defenses near Washington. His army would travel by water to Fort Monroe and then advance northwest between the York and James rivers toward the Confederate capital.

The campaign brought the Union army close to Richmond but became one of the most debated operations of the Civil War. Delays, difficult terrain, poor intelligence, divided political leadership, Confederate resistance, and the emergence of Robert E. Lee all influenced its outcome.

Campaign Events and Battles

The narrative covers major developments associated with the campaign, including:

• McClellan’s appointment to command

• Organization of the Army of the Potomac

• Planning the Peninsula Campaign

• The movement to Fort Monroe

• The Siege of Yorktown

• The Battle of Williamsburg

• The advance toward Richmond

• Operations along the Chickahominy River

• The Battle of Seven Pines

• Robert E. Lee’s assumption of Confederate command

• J.E.B. Stuart’s ride around the Union army

• The Seven Days Battles

• Mechanicsville and Gaines’ Mill

• Savage’s Station and Glendale

• Malvern Hill

• The Union withdrawal toward the James River

An Eyewitness Approach to Civil War History

Rather than relying exclusively on later military analysis, Wheeler allows participants to describe events in their own words. Their accounts reveal not only strategy and battlefield movement, but also exhaustion, uncertainty, fear, confidence, frustration, and the everyday experience of campaigning.

This approach makes the book valuable for:

• Civil War enthusiasts

• Students of military leadership

• Readers interested in George B. McClellan

• Researchers studying the Peninsula Campaign

• Virginia-history collectors

• Battlefield visitors

• Collectors of eyewitness military histories

Key Features

• Written by Richard Wheeler

• Uses firsthand military and civilian accounts

• Provides a detailed narrative of the Peninsula Campaign

• Covers both Union and Confederate perspectives

• Examines McClellan’s leadership and strategy

• Includes major battles leading to the outskirts of Richmond

• Illustrated historical edition

• Previously owned copy

Book Details

• Title: Sword Over Richmond

• Subtitle: An Eyewitness History of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign

• Author: Richard Wheeler

• Original publication year: 1989

• Language: English

• Length: Approximately 371 pages

• Subjects: American Civil War, Peninsula Campaign, George B. McClellan, Army of the Potomac, Richmond, and Virginia history

Multiple hardcover and paperback editions of this title have been published. Please review the listing photographs for the publisher, binding, ISBN, and publication date of the exact copy being offered.

Used-Book Condition

This is a previously owned book. It may show ordinary evidence of age, storage, handling, and prior reading, including wear to the cover, dust jacket, spine, corners, edges, or pages.

Previous-owner names, inscriptions, bookplates, labels, highlighting, underlining, or other markings may be present unless specifically stated otherwise. Please examine the listing photographs carefully for the edition and condition of the exact book being sold.

This listing includes one used book only.

Richard Wheeler's eyewitness-style narrative of McClellan's Peninsula Campaign, built from diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts. Ex-library hardback with protective jacket cover, typical wear, and clean pages.