The Peninsula Campaign was a major Union operation launched in southeast of Virginia, it was fought March through July 1862. This act was intended to take over the Confederates capital, Richmond. The Union general thought he would be able to take over the capital but the Confederate general had other plans. This attempt turned into a 7 day battle and the union was defeated terribly. In the movie The Blue and The Gray this was shown in the scene when John told Kathy when Grant took over Richmond so that's when people of the south thought the war was over.