Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. It was the final battle of the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War.
About Battle of Malvern Hill in brief
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter’s Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. It was the final battle of the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War. More than fifty thousand soldiers from each side took part, using more than two hundred pieces of artillery and three warships. The battle occurred in stages: an initial exchange of artillery fire, a minor charge by Confederate Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead, and three successive waves of Confederate infantry charges triggered by unclear orders from Lee. In each phase, the effectiveness of the Federal artillery was the deciding factor, repulsing attack after attack, resulting in a tactical Union victory. The Confederate press heralded Lee as the savior of Richmond. In stark contrast, McClellan was accused of being absent from the battlefield, a harsh criticism that haunted him when he ran for president in 1864. The Confederates continued their withdrawal that night, and fought an inconclusive battle at Williamsburg the next day. The Union commander, Maj.Gen. Toymie Smith, fought an unsuccessful retreat to Eltham’s Landing in a stymied battle on May 7, 1862. The lack of decisive action on the Virginia Peninsula spurred President Abraham Lincoln to order McClllan’s army to move into positions across the James River.
By May 30, McClellan’s army had begun moving across the Chickahomah River, moving towards the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, but by May 15, they were turned back at Drewry’s Bluff. All the Confederates were withdrawing quickly towards Richmond, who were withdrawing rapidly towards Allatoona River, where they were turning back the Union troops. After the battle, McCllellan and his forces withdrew to Harrison’s Landing, where he remained until August 16. His plan to capture Richmond had been thwarted and he was forced to abandon his attempt to take the city in favor of a more modest goal of capturing the capital of New York City. The Battle of Gettysburg was the climax of the Peninsula Campaign, during which McCllllan’s Army landed at the tip of theVirginia Peninsula, southeast of Richmond and struck inland towards the Confederate capital. The Seven Days battles were the climax. The battles were collectively called the Seven days Battles. The Federals were delayed for about a month in the Siege of Yorktown. When the Federals finally did attack on May 4, the defensive earthworks around Yorktown were undefended. When Union troops encountered the Confederate rearguarduard, the two armies fought an indecisive battle that night that night. After some hours, the army pursued the retreating Confederates, and they were forced to retreat to Williamsburg, where the Union forces continued their retreat.
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This page is based on the article Battle of Malvern Hill published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
