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Hanover Court House,
Virginia
Other Names: Slash Church, Lebanon Church
Location: Hanover County
Campaign: Peninsula Campaign (March-September 1862)
Date(s): May 27, 1862
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter [US]; Brig.
Gen. Lawrence O'B. Branch [CS]
Forces Engaged: Divisions
Estimated Casualties: 1,327 total (US 397; CS 930)
| Virginia Civil War Map of Battles 1862 |
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Description: On May 27, 1862, elements of Brig. Gen. Fitz John
Porter’s V Corps extended north to protect the right flank of McClellan’s Union army that now straddled the Chickahominy
River. Porter’s objective was to cut the railroad and to open the Telegraph Road for Union reinforcements under Maj.
Gen. Irvin McDowell that were marching south from Fredericksburg. Confederate forces, attempting to prevent this maneuver,
were defeated just south of Hanover Courthouse after a stiff fight. The Union victory was moot, however, for McDowell’s
reinforcements were recalled to Fredericksburg upon word of Banks’s rout at First Winchester. At Hanover Court House, Union
forces numbered approximately 12,000, while Confederate forces were approximately 4,000.
"The next battle in Virginia was at Slash Church, near Hanover Court House, on the 27th of May 1862. This,
with the exception of one regiment, was purely a North Carolina fight."
Result(s): Union victory
Sources: National Park Service; Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Recommended Reading: Battle of Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula
Campaign, May 27, 1862 (Hardcover). Product Description:
Researched from official reports as well as contemporary accounts, this is the first detailed look at the battle most widely
known as Hanover Court House and Slash Church.
The opening chapters set the stage for this crucial battle and outline the events that led up to May 27, 1862, and the high
tide of the Peninsula Campaign. The book’s main focus is the series of battles that took place between the forces of
Union V Corps commander Fitz John Porter and Confederate general Lawrence O’Bryan Branch. Photographs of the battle's
central participants are included, along with appendices featuring the official reports of commanders and lists of casualties
from both sides.
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