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Army of the Peninsula

 

 
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The Army of the Peninsula or Magruder's Army was a Confederate
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
 army early in the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

In May 1861, Colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
 John B. Magruder
John B. Magruder

John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a United States Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate States Army General officer during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army....
 was assigned to command operations on the lower Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula

The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name....
 with Yorktown
Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 203 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, Virginia, one of the 8 original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
 as headquarters. The Confederate Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War

The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States of America President of the Confederate States Jefferson Davis#Cabinet during the American Civil War....
 LeRoy Pope Walker
LeRoy Pope Walker

LeRoy Pope Walker was the first Confederate States Secretary of War and issued the orders for the firing on Fort Sumter, which began the American Civil War....
 ordered the Department of the Peninsula into existence on May 26, and the military force was named for the department. Magruder fought a portion of his command to good effect at Big Bethel
Battle of Big Bethel

The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel was an American Civil War battle that took place on June 10, 1861, in Hampton, Virginia and York County, Virginia, ....
, an early Confederate victory.

By year's end, the force had swollen to 13,000 men, still commanded by Magruder, now major general
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
.






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The Army of the Peninsula or Magruder's Army was a Confederate
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
 army early in the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

In May 1861, Colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
 John B. Magruder
John B. Magruder

John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a United States Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate States Army General officer during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army....
 was assigned to command operations on the lower Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula

The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name....
 with Yorktown
Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 203 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, Virginia, one of the 8 original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
 as headquarters. The Confederate Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War

The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States of America President of the Confederate States Jefferson Davis#Cabinet during the American Civil War....
 LeRoy Pope Walker
LeRoy Pope Walker

LeRoy Pope Walker was the first Confederate States Secretary of War and issued the orders for the firing on Fort Sumter, which began the American Civil War....
 ordered the Department of the Peninsula into existence on May 26, and the military force was named for the department. Magruder fought a portion of his command to good effect at Big Bethel
Battle of Big Bethel

The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel was an American Civil War battle that took place on June 10, 1861, in Hampton, Virginia and York County, Virginia, ....
, an early Confederate victory.

By year's end, the force had swollen to 13,000 men, still commanded by Magruder, now major general
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
. In April 1862 Magruder's army was incorporated into the right wing of larger army of Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career United States Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
, preparing defenses against an expected attack by George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
 in what would become the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
. While the army designation ceased to exist, Magruder's army's independence and initiative was instrumental in preventing McClellan from rapid advance on Richmond
Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
.