Near Richmond in Henrico County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Union Firepower

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

1. Union Firepower Marker

Inscription. Steep terrain on both flanks of the Union line funneled the Confederate attackers into the face of 29 Union cannon lining this ridge. Six 12-pounder Napoleon guns of Company A, 5th U.S. Artillery, fired from near this spot.

During the afternoon of July 1, this battery fired 1,392 rounds of shell and canister. Most devastating was the canister - - shotgun-like blasts of iron balls fired at short range. The Confederate infantry lines melted away under the barrage. No Southerners reached the guns.

Erected by Richmond National Battlefield Park – National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1831.

Location. 37° 24.803′ N, 77° 15.023′ W. Marker is near Richmond, Virginia, in Henrico County. Marker is on Willis Church Road (Virginia Route 156), on the right when traveling south. Marker is in the Malvern Hill Battlefield Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9100 Willis Church Rd, Henrico VA 23231, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Splendid Field of Battle (within shouting distance of this marker); Malvern Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Malvern Hill

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Southern Valor vs. Union Firepower (within shouting distance of this marker); Seven Days Battles (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The West House (about 400 feet away); “the grandest sean of all” (about 400 feet away); Battlefield of Malvern Hill (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

More about this marker. The bottom right of the marker features a photograph of Lieutenant Adelbert Ames who “commanded Company A. This medal of honor winner [would] later become a Union general and was the last of the Civil War generals to die, in 1933.”

Also see . . .
1. Malvern Hill. CWSAC Battle Summaries. (Submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

2. Touring Richmond’s Battlefields. National Park Service website. (Submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

3. Malvern Hill Battlefield Podcast. National Park Service website. (Submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

Malvern Hill - CWPT image. Click for more information.

2. Malvern Hill - CWPT

Civil War Preservation Trust's efforts to preserve portions of the battlefield.
Click for more information.

4. The Seven Days Battle. HistoryCentral.com website. (Submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

Marker between two 12-pdr Napoleons image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, March 21, 2010

3. Marker between two 12-pdr Napoleons

Union Artillery on Malvern Hill image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

4. Union Artillery on Malvern Hill

The marker can be seen in the photo behind the farthest cannon here on the crest of Malvern Hill.

Union Cannon image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

5. Union Cannon

The view from the marker shows the approach taken by the charging Confederates during the Battle of Malvern Hill.

Richmond National Battlefield Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

6. Richmond National Battlefield Park

Marker is in the Malvern Hill Battlefield Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 959 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3. submitted on March 28, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 11, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.