April 5, 1862 (Saturday) Yorktown, VA The previous day had been a good one for George Briton McClellan, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac. The Rebels to his front gave up ground quickly as he advanced two columns up the Virginia Peninsula. Though a division had been withheld from him a few days ago, he quickly recovered, taking less than two days to get his entire army of 66,700 on the road. As the dawn drove out the night, he must have felt a renewed optimism. He was certain that Confederate commander General John Magruder had left his...