Battle of Beaver Dam Creek

Dates: June 26, 1862

Other Names: Mechanicsville, Ellerson’s Mill

Location: Beaver Dam Creek, Virginia

Key Individuals Involved in the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek: Union: Brigadier General Fitz John Porter
Confederate: General Robert E. Lee

Outcome: Union Victory. 1700 casualties of which 1300 were Confederate soldiers.

Overview of the Battle : Second of the Seven Days’ Battles. Gen. Robert E. Lee initiated his offensive against McClellan’s right flank north of the Chickahominy River. A.P. Hill threw his division, reinforced by one of D.H. Hill’s brigades, into a series of futile assaults against Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter’s V Corps, which was drawn up behind Beaver Dam Creek. Confederate attacks were driven back with heavy casualties. Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley divisions, however, were approaching from the northwest, forcing Porter to withdraw the next morning to a position behind Boatswain Creek just beyond Gaines’ Mill.
Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries