. From Manassas to Appomattox : memoirs of the Civil War in America . easibility of aggressive battle. I found some difference between General Lees mapsand General Magruders guides, but my authority wasonly for a reconnoissance, and posting the divisions. Anelevated point was found off the enemys left front, ashigh as the plateau upon which his army stood, fromwhich a fair view was had of his position and down alonghis front and the open as far as Jacksons field, the latterjust filing in by his batteries on much lower but openground. Profound silence rested upon the field. Jacksons bat-teries,
. From Manassas to Appomattox : memoirs of the Civil War in America . easibility of aggressive battle. I found some difference between General Lees mapsand General Magruders guides, but my authority wasonly for a reconnoissance, and posting the divisions. Anelevated point was found off the enemys left front, ashigh as the plateau upon which his army stood, fromwhich a fair view was had of his position and down alonghis front and the open as far as Jacksons field, the latterjust filing in by his batteries on much lower but openground. Profound silence rested upon the field. Jacksons bat-teries, yet a little beyond the point of range, marched totheir places as quietly as if taking positions for field seemed as little concerned at the develop-ments along his flank and front, indicating that there wasto be no waste of ammunition on that July day. Hisguns could not be counted, but blocking them off by bat-teries there seemed to be eighty on his front, besides the // ^-• » f.» ,(^ ^ J^// * «7;. s?/ ^*; ^ «? •i ./.; ■ ^ n :» iV .-,, ^. BATTLE OF MALVERN HILL. 143 siege battery in rear. His guns were all trailed to Jack-sons front, thus presenting a flank towards the high pointupon which I stood. From the crest at this little ridge theground dropped off sharply some eighteen inches or two feetto a lower terrace, forming a natural parapet and terre-pleinfor forty or sixty guns, massed. The spacious open alongJacksons front appeared to offer a field for play of a hun-dred or more guns, and although his lower ground wasnot inviting of combat even by a hundred guns, it wasyet judged that advancing combat by eighty or a hundredguns, in combination with the forty-gun battery of posi-tion, might justify assault, and the tremendous game atissue called for adventure. I thought it probable that Porters batteries, under thecross-fire of the Confederates thus posted on his left andfront, could be thrown into disorder, and thus make wayfor combined assaults of
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