Richmond National Battlefield Park acquires more land at Henrico's Malvern Hill Battlefield
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About 1,300 acres of the Malvern Hill Battlefield in Eastern Henrico is now preserved by the National Park Service, following Richmond National Battlefield Park’s acquisition of 371 acres of land there from the Capital Region Land Conservancy.
Richmond National Battlefield Park Superintendent Doyle Sapp made the announcement Jan. 27.
“Malvern Hill witnessed the culmination of the Seven Days Battles in 1862 and is one of the best-preserved Civil War battlefields in Virginia,” said Sapp. “We are deeply grateful to our partners at CRLC for their work in preserving this land so that current and future generations may better understand how this conflict shaped our nation’s history.”
Fought on July 1, 1862, the Battle of Malvern Hill pitted Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s forces against Union forces led by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. Approximately 50,000 soldiers fought on each side, with McClellan’s federal forces launching the attack in an effort to take the Confederate capital of Richmond.
The ideal defensive ground helped McClellan's army win the Battle of Malvern Hill from a tactical standpoint, but his withdrawal across the James River and failure to capitalize on his army’s success inadvertently made this a strategic victory for Lee and the South.
This newly acquired acreage illustrates the importance of terrain in shaping the course of the battle. The land brings into the national park the leftmost end of the primary Union infantry position atop the hill and also preserves two ridges from which Union cannon fired in direct and very effective support of their comrades.
“When it became apparent to us in 2016 that we were the last defense for Malvern Hill Farm from turning into a residential subdivision, we committed to do our best to preserve the entire 871-acre property and deliver the National Park Service’s land interest,” said Parker Agelasto, Capital Region Land Conservancy’s Executive Director. “Our regional land trust took on the nationally important work because of its significance to our community, though we could not have done it without the support of our partners at the National Park Service who will now steward much of the property for the public to enjoy.”
For details about the Malvern Hill Battlefield, as well as other Civil War sites preserved by the park, visit www.nps.gov/rich or www.Facebook.com/RichmondNPS.
