Sever 11 was filled to overflowing last evening with the audience assembled to hear Gen. Francis A. Palfry on "Gaines Mill and the Peninsular Campaign." The purpose which McClellan had in view when he entered upon the disastrous campaign of the Peninsular was the crushing of the Confederate forces massed in front of Richmond, and the ultimate capture of the city. To accomplish this object, he had at his disposal troops to the number of a hundred thousand. To oppose him, Johnson, and afterward Lee, had about eighty thousand men. These estimates include all three branches of the service, and are approximately correct. McClellan had taken months to organize and discipline his men, and at the very beginning of the campaign he spent several weeks in building works in front of the Confederate entrenchments on the Warwick line near York-town, only to find that when everything was in readiness to open fire, the enemy had evacuated their position. A slow pursuit was at once begun, the rate of advance averaging two miles a day. Slowly the army of the Potomac crept forward until it assumed a position astride the Chickahominy river, which greatly embarrassed its operations. Ordinarily it is not deemed bad policy to have a river dividing an army. But the Chickahominy is an exceptional stream from the fact that its bottom is but little lower than its banks, and consequently from heavy rains is convertible into a large lake. Such was the position of the Union army on the morning of May 30, when the booming of guns on the right of the line announces that an attempt is being made to crush keyes' division. Reinforcements are quickly hurried up, and a sharp all-day fight results in the retiring of the Union forces two miles. Instead of pressing the attack the Confederates retreated. The battles of Glendale and Seven Pines followed shortly without decisive results, other than to protect McClellan's line of communication with the York river. An attack is now made by Lee on Beaver Dam, which is easily repulsed through the failure of Jackson to come to time. McClellan now gives up all idea of an offensive campaign and begins his inglorious change of base and retreat to the James river.

In the opinion of Gen. Palfry there are three things which McClellan might have done which would have saved his campaign from failure. (1) By sending strong columns to his own right to check Lee's advance and expected at ack. (2) By a counter flank attack against Jackson. (3) By a direct attack on Richmond itself. McClellan, however, did none of these things, but instead changed his base and brought on the conflict of Gaines Mill. Porter is stationed at Gaines Mill with twenty thousand men, against him are hurled the overwhelming masses of A. P. Hill's. Jackson's and Longstreet's divisions in a desperate attempt to flank McClellan. The attempt is only partially successful and results in great loss to both sides. In the meantime Magruder has made a feint in front of a porting of McClellan's army, which prevented aid being sent to Porter. The next day Lee remains quiet, only to find that the retreat of McClellan to the James has begun. Lee orders a hot pursuit and almost envelopes the Union army. At Charles City cross roads a desperate attempt is made to break through the Union lines, but fails. Finally, at Malvern Hill, under the shelter of the gunboats, McClellan stops retreating and takes up a position for defence. Lee knowing that this is the last chance attacks in force and in a sharp battle is repulsed and so used up that had McClellan followed up his advantage he would no dobt have achieved the destruction of Lee's army. But it is not to be. McClellan again forces his wearied army to retreat until under the protection of the retreat until under the protection of the gunboats at Harrison's Landing an opportunity is afforded for rest and re-organization. The conduct of McClellan in this campaign has been commented upon by all the leading military authorities and by most of them severely criticised. Gen. Palfry's lecture was listened to throughout with the deepest attention, and the applause which greeted him as he closed showed how thoroughly he had aroused the interest of the audience.