A grieving Garland saw action in July at
First Bull Run. He gained a reputation for fearlessness under fire, which some believed stemmed from a
death wish. He also saw action at
Dranesville,
Battle of Oak Grove,
Battle of Beaver Dam Creek,
Battle of Seven Pines,
Battle of Gaines' Mill,
Battle of Malvern Hill, and
Williamsburg, having been wounded at the latter by a ball in the elbow on May 5, 1862. For bravery in battles and commanding skills, on May 23, 1862, Garland was promoted to
brigadier general. After promotion, Garland distinguished himself in the
Peninsula Campaign (March–July 1862) and the
Seven Days Battles (June 25-July 1, 1862).
Battle of Seven Pines In the
Battle of Seven Pines Garland was at the left wing of the Confederate army supporting Gen.
George B. Anderson. Each wing of the army was preceded by a regiment deployed as skirmishers. One particular problem with the Confederate battle plan was that the right wing of the army was delayed by a quarter of an hour waiting for the relieving force. This exposed Garland and Anderson to the whole Yankee force. A few hundred yards after the right wing caught up they came under fire. The location for this battle was majorly important in determining the outcome. It had recently rained and the soldiers were marching through deep mud in a densely packed forest. As the battle proceeded, both sides suffered a number of losses. Eventually, Gen.
Robert E. Rodes managed to get behind and flank the Federal troops, capturing six artillery pieces. He used these guns to turn back fresh Yankee soldiers that hoped to retake lost positions and thus won the battle.
Battle of Gaines' Mill The
Battle of Gaines' Mill waged east of
Mechanicsville was the third of the
Seven Days Battles. At first, Garland and his men had to survive artillery fire while waiting out for the enemy in rifle pits on Williamsburg Road as Garland and his troops were assigned to support Generals
Lewis Armistead and
Ambrose R. Wright forces. At about 2 a.m. they began moving on the enemy. They stopped and hid at a position on the Mechanicsville turnpike just behind the crest of the commanding hill and waited there for Maj. Gen.
A. P. Hill to attack the other side of
Mechanicsville. Garland and his troops were hit with heavy artillery fire from Beaver Dam Creek. Eventually, the afternoon rolled around and Gen. Hill arrived and began to attack the Federals from the other side. They were then given orders to advance, but they first had to defeat the enemy at Beaver Creek Dam before they could move through. The Federals had artillery and a small amount of infantry so Garland's troops attacked until the Federals retreated. This happened early on the 27th of June. Garland's men then advanced to their next positions, but before they could arrive they ran into the Federal troops at New Cold Harbor. The battle raged on for some time. Soon Maj. Gen.
Stonewall Jackson arrived and began rearranging the formations of the troops. Then Garland along with a couple other battalions crossed an open field into the woods. Here they found an exposed enemy flank and began preparing to attack it. As soon as Gen. Hill joined up with them they commenced the attack on the exposed enemy flank. The Federals quickly gave up and began to flee. At one point they attempted a second stand, but even this was broken quickly as Garland and his men had momentum on their side. This ended the battle with a victory for Garland and the Confederates. In the Battle of Gaines' Mill, Garland successfully attacked the Federal flank and took many prisoners earning an outstanding reputation in the Confederate army. On September 14, 1862, Union troops from the
Army of the Potomac moved to seize the passes and advance toward Boonsboro where the wagon trains and parks of artillery of the
Army of Northern Virginia were kept. During the spirited mid-morning engagement at Fox's Gap, Garland was mortally wounded while commanding his men who were defending a stone wall bordering farmer Daniel Wise's field along Old Sharpsburg Road. He died within minutes. Garland's body was retrieved by Confederate troops and sent down the mountainside. On September 19, 1862, Garland was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in his hometown of Lynchburg next to his wife and son. ==Family==