Battle Commences

Battle Commences. . A march of less than three miles from the Glendale battlefield brought the Confederates to this spot at the foot of Malvern Hill. In earlier times it was a peaceful landscape, but on July 1 a line of Union artillery with infantry supports held the crest of the hill, not 800 yards from here. Their position was in front of the West House, which can be seen in the distance. When the Southern infantry arrived in this treeless space those guns opened fire with devastating exploding shells and solid shot. For most of the day the valley of Western Run behind you served as a natural shelter for these soldiers of General D.H. Hill’s division., Late in the afternoon Hill’s infantry began its assault against the Union position. George B. Anderson’s brigade advanced part way up the hill before stalling and falling back. Other brigades fought to within 200 yards of the Union guns, but were decimated by canister rounds. The gentle slope, combined with extensive field of fire, gave the Union artillery an ideal setting for its destructive work.