Tuesday, August 12, 1862
In a letter to his father, Doctor Nathan Hayward relayed his beliefs that the regiment would be on the march again soon. He shared the particulars of the recent reconnaissance to Malvern Hill and noted, "We are expecting to move to-day, but in what direction is altogether conjectural." Hayward also noted that, although the overall health of the regiment was good, many were suffering from jaundice.1
References:
1Nathan Hayward, "Letters," Association of Officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, Reports, Letters and Papers Appertaining to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, vol. 1, p. 396, Twentieth Massachusetts Special Collection, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.
Showing posts with label Malvern Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malvern Hill. Show all posts
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Reconnaissance to Malvern Hill
Thursday, August 7, 1862
After a two day reconnaissance march to Malvern Hill, the Union Army received orders to fall back and returned to camp at Harrison's Landing.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 140-41.
After a two day reconnaissance march to Malvern Hill, the Union Army received orders to fall back and returned to camp at Harrison's Landing.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 140-41.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Seven Days Battles - Day 7 - Battle of Malvern Hill
Tuesday, July 1, 1862
The Seven Days Battles ended with a Confederate attack at Malvern Hill, the current position of the Union army in their retreat to Harrison’s Landing. The high ground at Malvern Hill afforded the Union army the advantage in the ensuing fight.
General Robert E. Lee planned a frontal assault on the Union line led by General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, with attacks by Generals John Magruder and Benjamin Huger in support. Generals James Longstreet and A.P. Hill, who had been heavily engaged in the previous day’s fight at Glendale, were held in reserve.
Lee’s battle plans were poorly executed again, and the forces of Jackson, Magruder, and Huger were ordered to await the Confederate artillery barrage before attacking. The Union artillery commander, Colonel Henry Hunt, attacked first, disabling most of the Confederate artillery. Regardless of this setback, Lee ordered his infantry units to attack. By nightfall the Confederate attacks had been repulsed with heavy losses on both sides, but the Confederates suffered nearly two-to-one in casualties compared to the Union forces.
The Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment was not engaged at Malvern Hill.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 132-136. Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 152.
The Seven Days Battles ended with a Confederate attack at Malvern Hill, the current position of the Union army in their retreat to Harrison’s Landing. The high ground at Malvern Hill afforded the Union army the advantage in the ensuing fight.
General Robert E. Lee planned a frontal assault on the Union line led by General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, with attacks by Generals John Magruder and Benjamin Huger in support. Generals James Longstreet and A.P. Hill, who had been heavily engaged in the previous day’s fight at Glendale, were held in reserve.
Lee’s battle plans were poorly executed again, and the forces of Jackson, Magruder, and Huger were ordered to await the Confederate artillery barrage before attacking. The Union artillery commander, Colonel Henry Hunt, attacked first, disabling most of the Confederate artillery. Regardless of this setback, Lee ordered his infantry units to attack. By nightfall the Confederate attacks had been repulsed with heavy losses on both sides, but the Confederates suffered nearly two-to-one in casualties compared to the Union forces.
The Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment was not engaged at Malvern Hill.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 132-136. Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 152.
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