Essay On The Battle Of Malvern Hill

The Battle of Malvern Hill
Artillery presence and changes in command structure during the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1st 1862, were the determining factors for the victory of the Union Army. Both the Union and Confederate armies gave all they had during the battle. The Union Army had an outstanding vantage point while in positive control of Malvern Hill, this advantage was a contributing factor to the Union’s decisive victory. Despite their disadvantage in position, the Confederate Army put up an intense and valiant fight against tremendous odds. The decisions made and tactics used by the Confederate Army proved to be a recurring issue throughout the battle. When it was over, both armies had displayed the importance of artillery and how

Their disadvantage in literally fighting an uphill battle, gave them little hope at gaining ground against the superior force of the Union Army. The day before the battle, Brigadier General Fitz John Porter of the Union Army surveyed Malvern Hill and saw the steep slopes on its southern, eastern, and western sides. It was further protected by swampy terrain and a stream named Western Run. General Porter decided the hill was to be the center of the Union Army line, as they were able to see 800 yards to a mile of open land to every side. Union Army Colonel Henry Hunt was Porter’s Chief of Artillery. Hunt organized his Artillery pieces possessing around 250 guns, he was able to emplace between 30 to 35 atop the hill at any given point. (Hickman 2015) When one cannon ran out of ammunition, another one would come forward and continue to fire. The Union line was further supported by US Navy gunboats, in the river to the south. A total of 18,000 Union infantry occupied this position, reinforced by approximately 15,000 troops held in reserve behind the ridge (Civil War Trust 2014). With the army united for the first time that week (Gabriel

When it was time for them to execute the mission and leadership was failing, soldiers in the lower ranks did not have the proficiency or knowledge to step in to leadership positions. Also, Confederate soldiers did not have the proper equipment needed to conduct their mission effectively. One of their major issues were outdated maps, resulting in an inability to move around in their area of operations, due to unexpected terrain features. They also had no control over the information that was sent down to soldiers, or how it was disseminated, resulting in chaotic and uncontrolled movement across the battlefield. The communication throughout their movement caused the infantrymen to be late to their checkpoints, due to incorrect maps and terrain they could not maneuver through. The leadership the Confederates displayed was lackluster, no one seemed to be able to gain control once things started to unravel. Conversely, the Union had leadership that was capable of maintaining control, with the knowledge and know how to conduct and complete the mission. Colonel Hunt had full control of the artillery, with the autonomy to decide how many guns he wanted on the hill and were they went. His knowledge and strong leadership showed immediately once the Confederates started their attack. During the attack, Hunt showed no hesitation. He reacted immediately and began his systematic destruction