Henrico in Henrico County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Artillery’s Terrible Effect
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, September 6, 2011
1. Artillery’s Terrible Effect Marker
Inscription.
Artillery’s Terrible Effect. . Malvern Hill is barely 900 yards wide here at its narrow crest, leaving room for only a small number of the nearly 200 cannon available to the Union army on July 1. The defenders placed between two and three dozen pieces of artillery across the hill and waited. When Confederate artillery appeared on opposite fields, the better-posted Union cannon blasted them into silence. Soon the gunners turned their attention to attacking Confederate infantrymen, firing with devastating accuracy into the unprotected masses charging up Malvern Hill’s gentle slope., “As soon as they made their appearance from the woods, our artillery opened on them with terrible effect. The air over their heads was filled with the smoke of bursting shells whose fragments plowed the ground….Half way across the field, and already their ranks show many a gap….” , Charles A. Phillips, 5th Massachusetts Light Artillery, One battery on the crest fired 1,392 rounds from its six cannon during the afternoon, demonstrating the remarkable intensity along the entire Union line.
Malvern Hill is barely 900 yards wide here at its narrow crest, leaving room for only a small number of the nearly 200 cannon available to the Union army on July 1. The defenders placed between two and three dozen pieces of artillery across the hill and waited. When Confederate artillery appeared on opposite fields, the better-posted Union cannon blasted them into silence. Soon the gunners turned their attention to attacking Confederate infantrymen, firing with devastating accuracy into the unprotected masses charging up Malvern Hill’s gentle slope.
“As soon as they made their appearance from the woods, our artillery opened on them with terrible effect. The air over their heads was filled with the smoke of bursting shells whose fragments plowed the ground….Half way across the field, and already their ranks show many a gap….”
Charles A. Phillips, 5th Massachusetts Light Artillery
One battery on the crest fired 1,392 rounds from its six cannon during the afternoon, demonstrating the remarkable intensity along the entire Union line.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1864.
Location. 37° 24.817′ N, 77° 14.876′ W. Marker is in Henrico, Virginia, in Henrico County. Marker can
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be reached from Willis Church Road (Virginia Route 156) 0.2 miles north of Carters Mill Road (County Road 606), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in the Malvern Hill Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9175 Willis Church Road, Henrico VA 23231, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . 1. The Battle of Malvern Hill. Richmond National Battlefield Park (Submitted on September 7, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
2. Malvern Hill. Civil War Trust (Submitted on September 7, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, September 6, 2011
2. Malvern Hill Trail
Credits. This page was last revised on January 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 527 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
