CHAPTER XVI. MALVERN HILL. Battle of Malvern Hill.-The Final Engagement of the Peninsular Campaign.-Scene of the Battle.-Influence of our Gunboats.-Attack of the Rebels led by General Magruder.-Destructive Fire from Federal Cannon.-The Rebels Repulsed.-They Reform and Charge Again.-Another Tempest of Fire from our Batteries Sweeps them from the Field.-Their Guns are Silenced, the Horses Killed and Regiments Cut Down.-McClellan Orders a Retreat to Harrison's Landing.-Indignation of the Army.-General Kearney Protests Against the Order for Retreat.-General Martindale Sheds Tears of Shame. ALVERN HILL, the scene of the final engage MAL ment of the Peninsular campaign, is an elevation of nearly two hundred feet and fronts on James river to the south, which flows lazily along at a distance of between two and three miles. To the north it faces an open field of from a half to two-thirds of a mile in length and one-third in width. To the north and east is a gentle, undulating slope, but to the south and west it is quite rugged and difficult of ascent. On this elevated plain stands an old-fashioned but decidedly substantial country-seat, known as the Crew House, surrounded by a large number of out-houses which are embosomed in a multitude of vines and trees. A bright, magnificent, enchanting prospect opened to the eyes of the Federal troops as they took position on Malvern Hill. From the darkness and gloom of the Chickahominy swamps and from fields trodden into barrenness, they were brought to gaze upon a country which had not as yet felt the devastating tread of armies. The story of this battle has been so eloquently told by an eye-witness, that I cannot refrain from quoting it here. He says that during the night previous to the battle, rifle pits were dug under the guns, in the slope. The troops in these pits were covered with straw and freshly-reaped grain, and the glasses of the officers of the Confederate army could not see that before they could take these batteries, they would have to encounter ten thousand bayonets. The strength of our position was increased by the presence of five gun-boats, ready at a moment's notice to open in action. The moral influence of these on our army was very manifest. During the morning the enemy, now under the command of General Magruder, assisted by Jackson, Longstreet, Hill, and Huger, advanced from different points shelling the woods as they slowly felt their way, and at length, about noon, their skirmishers. discovered our position. The field in our front was about three-fourths of a mile long and half a mile wide, and beyond it a deep, dark, pine forest. On the edge of this field at different points General Magruder threw out batteries and regiments, for what purpose could not be known; and no sooner were they disclosed than they brought on them a rain of death. In a moment the regiments were swept away like chaff before a storm. The horses were killed at the guns, the carriages were tossed into a thousand fragments, the caissons were exploded, and the gunners who still lived, escaped into the shelter of the woods. About four o'clock in the afternoon General Magruder ordered an advance along the entire left wing of his line; and there were brought out into the field several divisions and batteries. Prominent among these were the brigades of Toombs, Cobb, Wright, and Armisted, among the finest troops in the Southern army. They were sustained by about twenty pieces of artillery thrown out into the plain. The first column advanced with steady step towards our batteries; but long before it reached the middle of the open ground, the troops were met by such an iron tempest, that the few who survived fell to the ground, and abandoning their guns commenced crawling back on their faces towards the forest. A second column with a courage which on the part of their officers was madness, but was at the moment the admiration of our army, ran out into the open field and pressed towards our death-dealing cannon. These again were mowed down. They rallied, feebly shouted defiance, pressed into the cloud of smoke, and another tempest of fire lighted up the scene for a moment and that column was gone. Here and there a straggler emerged from the smoke and ran across the field to his friends; he was but one, while the hundreds were lying mangled and dead on the plain. A third column was thrown out from the cover of the forest; fresh batterics were brought into play, and when the smoke had slightly lifted up from the field, the terrific conflict was renewed; again the guns of the Confederates were silenced, the horses killed, the caissons on fire, and the regiments cut down; re-forming, now prostrate, and then springing forward, until their thinned and ragged lines, as they came within musket range, presented so pitiable a spectacle that our men fired with little purpose to kill. About half-past five o'clock in the afternoon, a powerful body of troops from General Magruder's center were advanced into the field; their orders were to press forward over every obstacle. There is every reason to believe that these troops had been rendered insensible to fear by whiskey drugged with gunpowder; and undeterred by the fate of those who had perished in previous attacks, with shouts and yells they pressed on towards our men. Many pieces of our cannon opened upon them and grape and shell swept through their lines; treading on the dead, pressing down the living who had fallen to the ground, they with unwavering step still advanced; emboldened by their example, other regiments ran out with wild cheers from the forest; on and on over the field of carnage they advanced ; every discharge of our guns made great gaps in their lines, but instantly closing up, they pressed forward: another sheet of flame would spread out over the field and the roar and thunder followed, moving the ground as if trembling in the convulsion of an earthquake. |