Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Gaines's Mill

Battle of Gaines's Mill was a battle fought on 27 June 1862 at Hanover County, in what is now Virginia, United States. It was part of the American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865. The recorded result: Confederate victory. Recorded strength: 57,018 against 34,214.

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From the original source (Harper's Weekly): We have already described this fight, and will only add Mr. Waud's account of it: "The next day the rebels in great force attacked M'Call again, now sustain
From the original source (Harper's Weekly): We have already described this fight, and will only add Mr. Waud's account of it: "The next day the rebels in great force attacked M'Call again, now sustain. original sketch by Alfred R. Waud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought27 June 1862
WhereHanover County, Virginia, United States37.579N, 77.287W
OutcomeConfederate victory
BelligerentsConfederate StatesagainstUnited States (Union)
Battlefield todayGaines Mill battlefieldNPS site VA017, 18,335 acres studied, 5,286 core
Part ofAmerican Civil War1861 to 1865

Where it sits in the American Civil War

Battle of Fort Sumter, 1861Battle of Cheat Mountain, 1861Battle of Canada Alamosa, 1861Battle of Pensacola, 1861Battle of Gloucester Point, 1861Battle of Sewell's Point, 1861Battle of Aquia Creek, 1861Battle of Fairfax Court House, 1861Battle of Arlington Mills, 1861Battle of Philippi, 1861Battle of Pig Point, 1861Battle of Big Bethel, 1861Battle of Boonville, 1861Battle of Cole Camp, 1861Battle of Mathias Point, 1861Battle of Hoke's Run, 1861Battle of Rich Mountain, 1861Battle of Corrick's Ford, 1861Battle of Scary Creek, 1861Battle of Blackburn's Ford, 1861First Battle of Mesilla, 1861Siege of Tubac, 1861Battle of Cookes Canyon, 1861Battle of the Florida Mountains, 1861Battle of Athens, 1861Battle of Charleston, 1861Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, 1861Battle of Dry Wood Creek, 1861Battle of Carnifex Ferry, 1861Battle of Lewinsville, 1861Battle of Pinos Altos, 1861Battle of Greenbrier River, 1861Battle of Cockle Creek, 1861Battle of Santa Rosa Island, 1861Battle of the Head of 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Battle of Winchester, 1862Battle of Hanover Court House, 1862First Battle of Pocotaligo, 1862Battle of Seven Pines, 1862Battle of Tranter's Creek, 1862First Battle of Memphis, 1862Battle of Good's Farm, 1862First Battle of Chattanooga, 1862Battle of Cross Keys, 1862Battle of Port Republic, 1862Battle of James Island, 1862Battle of Saint Charles, 1862Battle of the Cumberland Gap, 1862Battle of Simmon's Bluff, 1862Seven Days Battles, 1862Battle of Oak Grove, 1862Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, 1862Battle of Gaines's Mill, 1862Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm, 1862Battle of Savage's Station, 1862Battle of Glendale, 1862Battle of White Oak Swamp, 1862Battle of Tampa, 1862Peninsula Campaign, 1862Battle of Malvern Hill, 1862Second Battle of Mesilla, 1862Battle of Booneville, 1862Battle of Cotton Plant, 1862First Battle of Murfreesboro, 1862Battle of Apache Pass, 1862Battle of Baton Rouge, 1862Battle of Kirksville, 1862Battle of Cedar Mountain, 1862First Battle of Donaldsonville, 1862First 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527 placed engagements of the American Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 June 1862
PlaceHanover County, Virginia, United States
37.579N, 77.287W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength57,01834,214
Casualties and losses7,993; (1,483 killed, 6,402 wounded, 108 missing or captured)7,337; (1,005 killed, 3,107 wounded, 3,236 missing or captured)
Commanders
Battle of Gaines's MillBattle of Gaines's MillBattle of Cold HarborBattle of Garnett's & Golding's FarmBattle of Totopotomoy CreekBattle of Savage's StationBattle of Seven PinesBattle of Totopotomoy CreekBattle of Savage's StationBattle of Seven PinesRichmond20 km37.579N, 77.287W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Map of battlefield core and study areas.
Map of battlefield core and study areas.. American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 41 times between 1781 and 1865.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1862

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: CS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIADefender: US ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
Strength57,01834,214
Casualties8,751 (15.3%)6,837 (20.0%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1056
Outcomedefender won
Duration1.2 days
Front width3.6 km3.6 km
Attacker advanced0.5 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 185), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Gaines Mill battlefield (site VA017): a study area of 18,335 acres, with a core area of 5,286 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 12,133 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Battle of Gaines's Mill is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (172 in Virginia).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1809351, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Gaines' Mill, revision 1377991520, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.