Attempting to cut off the Confederate retreat from Yorktown, Union General George McClellan sent a division of infantry under Brigadier general William Franklin by riverboat to Eltham's Landing on the Pamumkey River, where they disembarked on the evening of May 6, 1862. Protecting the railroad and the line of retreat, Confederate troops, including John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade, engaged the landed troops in a heavy skirmish during which Franklin held his position but missed the chance to affect the Confederate withdrawal. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Frank Moore, ed., The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. (New York: G.P. Putnam, 1863), V: 4.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Battles/Soldiers
