MCCLELLAN’S CHANGE OF BASE AND MALVERN HILL.

393

A similar order was sent to each division commander. However, only onebattery of our artillery came up at a time, and each successive one, as it tookposition, had fifty pieces turned upon it, and was crushed in a minute. Notknowing what to do under the circumstances, I wrote to General Jacksonthat the condition upon which the order was predicated was not fulfilled, andthat I wanted instructions. He replied to advance when I heal’d the shout-ing. We did advance at the signal, and after an unassisted struggle for anhour and a half, and after meeting withsome success, we were compelled to fallhack under cover of the woods. Ma-gruder advanced at the same signal,having portions of the divisions ofHuger and McLaws , comprising thebrigades of Mahone, Wright, Barksdale,

Ransom, Cobb, Semmes, Kershaw, Ar-mistead, and G. T. Anderson; but hemet with some delay, and did not getin motion till he received a secondorder from General Lee , and we werethen beaten.

The Comte de Paris, who was on Mc-Clellan’s staff, gives this account of thecharge of my gallant division:

“ Hill advanced alone against the Federalpositions. . . . He had therefore before himMorell’s right, Couch ’s division, reenforced by-Caldwell’s brigade, . . . and finally the left

of Kearny. The woods skirting the foot ofMalvern Hill had hitherto protected the Confed-erates, but as soon as they passed beyond the edge of the forest, they were received by a firefrom all the batteries at once, some posted on the hill, others ranged midway, close to the Fed-eral infantry. The latter joined its musketry fire to the cannonade when Hill’s first line had comewithin range, and threw it back in disorder on the reserves. While it was re-forming, new [Con-federate] battalions marched up to the assault in their turn. The remembrance of Cold Harbordoubles the energy of Hill’s soldiers. They try to pierce the line, sometimes at one point, some-times at another, charging Kearny’s left first, and Couch ’s right, . . . and afterward throwingthemselves upon the left of Couch ’s division. But, here also, after nearly reaching the Fed-eral positions, they are repulsed. The conflict is carried on with great fierceness on both sides,and, for a moment, it seems as if the Confederates are at last about to penetrate the very cen-ter of their adversaries and of the formidable artillery, which but now was dealing destructionin their ranks. But Sumner, who commands on the right, detaches Sickles’s and Meagher’s bri-gades successively to Couch ’s assistance. During this time, Whiting on the left, and Huger onthe right, suffer Hill’s soldiers to become exhausted without supporting them. Neither Lee norJackson has sent the slightest order, and the din of the battle which is going on in their imme-diate vicinity has not sufficed to make them march against the enemy. ... At seven o’clockHill reorganized the debris of his troops in the woods; . . . his tenacity and the courage of hissoldiers have only had the effect of causing him to sustain heavy losses.” (Pp. 141,142, Vol. II.)

Truly, the courage of the soldiers was sublime ! Battery after battery wasin their hands for a few moments, only to be wrested away by fresh troops of

VOL. II. 26

Ik-“3

WILLIS’S CHURCH, ON THE QUAKER ROAD, NEAR GLEN-DALE. USED AS A CONFEDERATE HOSPITALAFTER TIIE BATTLE OF MALVERN HILL.