The Battle of Malvern Hill

At the Battle of Malvern Hill, the 15,000 men of Stonewall Jackson who reached the battlefield saw little action on July 1 before dusk. When hard-pressed Confederates called for help, Jackson sent most of two divisions up the front slope of Malvern Hill just east of “The Parsonage,” but the attack sputtered out almost immediately as units collided in the growing darkness or wandered unguided into swampy woods. Parts of four brigades found positions along a little ridge and delivered effective volleys through the twilight, mainly against Sickles and Barlow, until total darkness ended the fighting there. Combat on the northeast end of Malvern Hill helps explain how the Union army lost 3,000 men killed and wounded, showing that despite the battle’s fame for dominant Union artillery, bitter close-quarters infantry fighting also caused heavy casualties.

Virginia · United States