To Hell or Richmond: A Great Way to Appreciate “Peninsula Season”

If you’re like Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in the spring of 1862, you’re probably sitting around on the outskirts of Richmond with nothing to do. You have time to kill and could probably use some good reading material to help pass the time.

Fortunately, the Emerging Civil War Series is here to help!

Authors Doug Crenshaw and Drew Gruber recount McClellan’s spring exploits in their new book To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign, available now from Savas Beatie. (And they make his adventures sound a lot more exciting that I just did!)

Doug set out to write this book as a prelude to his classic ECWS title Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up: The Seven Days’ Battles. He asked Drew to come on board because, well, the battle of Williamsburg is Drew’s jam. In their primary division of labor, Drew covered the lower peninsula and Doug covered the upper peninsula, although they cross-pollinated with ideas and suggestions all along the way.

The result is not only a readable account of McClellan’s creep up the James Peninsula toward Richmond—and Joe Johnston’s “Fabian withdrawal” in front of him—but it also takes advantage of a ton of Civil War Trails sites that help flesh out the story. (Drew, as executive director of Civil War Trails, had the inside trail—er, track—on a lot of great sites.)

This is “Peninsula season” for 1862 fans, and the latest Emerging Civil War Series book can help bring it to life for you. And trust me, it’s a quicker read than anything McClellan could come up with!