the field. Caldwell's brigade, having been detached from Richardson's division, was stationed upon Couch's right by General Porter, to whom he had been ordered to report. The whole line was surveyed by the generals, and everything held in readiness to meet the coming attack. At 6 o'clock the enemy suddenly opened upon Couch and Porter with the whole strength of his artillery,and at once began pushing forward his columns of attack to carry the hill. Brigade after brigade, formed under cover of the woods, started at a run to cross the open space and charge our batteries, but the heavy fire of our guns, with the cool and steady volleys of our infantry, in every case sent them reeling back to shelter,and covered the ground with their dead and wounded. In several instances our infantry withheld their fire until the attacking column, which rushed through the storm of canister and shell from our artillery, had reached within a few yards of our lines. They then poured in a single volley and dashed forward with the bayonet, capturing prisoners and colors, and driving the routed columns in confusion from the field.

About 7 o'clock, as fresh troops were accumulating in front of Porter and Couch, Meagher and Sickles were sent with their brigades, as soon as it was considered prudent to withdrawn any portion of Sumner's and Heintzelman's troops, to re-enforce that part of the line and hold the position. These brigades relievers such regiments of Porter's corps and Couch's division, as had expended their ammunition, and batteries from the reserve, were pushed forward to replace those whose boxes were empty. Until dark the enemy persisted in his efforts to take the position so tenaciously defended; but despite his vastly superior numbers his repeated and desperate attacks were repulsed with fearful loss, and darkness ended the battle of Malvern Hill, though it was not until after 9 o'clock that they artillery ceased its fire.

During the whole battle Commodore Rodgers added greatly to the discomfiture of the enemy by throwing shell among his reserves and advancing columns.

As the army in its movement from the Chickahominy to Harrison's Landing was continually occupied in marching by night and fighting by day, its commanders found no time or opportunity for collecting data which would enable them to give exact returns of casualties in each engagement. The aggregate of our entire losses from the 26th of June to the 1st of July, inclusive, was ascertained, after arriving at Harrison's Landing, to be as follows:

List of killed, wounded, and missing in the Army of the Potomac from the 26th of June to the 1st of July, 1862, inclusive.*

Corps.- Killed Wounded Missing Aggregat

e

1st, McCall's 253 1,240 1,581 3,074

division

(Pennsylvania

Reserves)

2nd, Sumner's 187 1,076 848 2,111

3rd, Heintzelman's 189 1,051 838 2,073

4th, Keyes' 69 507 201 777

5th, Porter's 620 2,460 1,198 4,278

6th, Franklin's 245 1,313 1,179 2,737

Engineers ---- 2 21 23

Cavalry 19 60 97 176

Total 1,582 7,709 5,958 15,249

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*But see revised statement of losses from June 25 to 1 in Part II, pp.24-41.

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