Malvern Hill

• Target Property: The Crew House

  

  The Civil War Trust is currently working to preserve the site of the historic Crew House. The Crew House marked the extreme left of the Union line during the Battle of Malvern Hill.

  Douglas Ullman, Jr.

• Last of the Seven Days' Battles

  

  The July 1, 1862 Battle of Malvern Hill was the last in a series of battles known collectively as the Seven Days' battles. Though Lee's troops failed to defeat the Yankees at Malvern Hill, the Seven Days nevertheless ended George McClellan's campaign to take Richmond.

  Rob Shenk

• Confederate Guns

  

  General Lee believed that massing his artillery in two "grand batteries" would pound the Federals into submission. Union artillerists, however, picked off the Rebel pieces one at a time and Lee's plan never materialized.

  Rob Shenk

• Charles Ellis Munford's Kepi

  

  This cap was worn by Confederate artillerist and Richmond native Charles Ellis Munford. Munford was killed on July 1, 1862 while his mother listened to the battle's roar from her Richmond home.

  Virginia Historical Society

• Willis Church Parsonage

  

  The parsonage of Willis Church -- the ruins of which can still be seen today -- marked the jumping off point for the Confederate assaults at Malvern Hill.

  Rob Shenk

• The Federal Gunline

  

  Union artillery chief Col. Henry Hunt posted an impressive array of cannon on the crest of Malvern Hill. The effective use of artillery allowed the Federals to wreak havoc on the assaulting Confederates and dominate the battle.

  Rob Shenk

• Malvern Cliffs

  

  The Union left was anchored on the steep heights known as Malvern Cliffs. Despite the forbidding nature of the ground Confederate troops nevertheless assaulted the Yankees posted here, suffering great losses.

  Rob Shenk

• Historic View: Malvern Cliffs

  

  Though heavily wooded today, this 1885 photo of Malvern Cliffs shows the open nature of this landscape during the 19th Century.

  Gilder Lehrman Collection

• An Artist's Impression

  

  Sketch artist Alfred Waud captured this view of the fighting near Malvern Cliffs. At right, Federal artillerymen shell the assaulting Confederates while troops from George Morell's division rush to meet the attack.

  Library of Congress

• Crew Slave Cabins

  

  The cabins seen here housed many of the roughly fifty slaves owned by Cornelius Crew. Ironically, these cabins provided shelter to the Confederate troops struggling to advance up Malvern Cliffs.

  Gilder Lehrman Collection

• Historic Road Trace

  

  The trace of the historic path that lead to the Crew slave cabins can still be seen today.

  Douglas Ullman, Jr.

• Freeman Marker

  

  Markers such as these are named after historian Douglas Southall Freeman, who was instrumental in the preservation of Richmond's Civil War battlefields. Of the sixty-two in the greater Richmond area three are on the Malvern Hill battlefield.

  Douglas Ullman, Jr.

• The West House

  

  The right of the Union line was posted in front of the house of Nathaniel West. The structure seen here was built in the early 20th Century on the site of the original house.

  Douglas Ullman, Jr.

• The Battle of Malvern Hill

  

  Famous illustrators Currier and Ives created this romanticized version of the Battle of Malvern Hill, showing the triumphant Federals turning back a Confederate assault.

  Library of Congress

• Adaptive Reuse

  

  In order to maintain the battlefield's agrarian nature, the National Park Service leases portions of the Malvern Hill battlefield to local farmers.

  Rob Shenk

• Preserving Malvern Hill

  

  The Civil War Trust has been a key partner in preserving the Malvern Hill battlefield. To date, 949 acres of this important hallowed ground have been saved

  Douglas Ullman, Jr.