James Deshler to William N. Pendleton, November 18, 1864

Captain Branch was in nothing responsible for the misconduct of a part of his battery at Malvern Hill, and I take great pleasure in correcting the omission in my official report. His conduct, as also that of the section of his battery with which he served, was excellent and worthy of all praise, and I beg to adopt the report of the lamented Deshler as a part of my own.

Respectfully forwarded to the War Department.

T. H. H. HOLMES, Tieutenant-General.

Report of Col. James Deshler, Chief of Artillery, of the engagement at Malvern Oliff (Turkey Bridge).

CAMP NEAR SWIFT CREEK, V. A., July 15, 1862.

GENERAL: In compliance with your letter of yesterday to General Holmes I inclose herewith a report of the number of batteries serving with this division :

You will notice in the column of remarks opposite to Graham’s battery that that battery lost two guns—one rifled Parrott and one 6pounder—near Malvern Cliff, on June 30, though the battery was not directly in action.

While the division was in position near New Market, on the afternoon of the 30th ultimo, I received directions from General Holmes to take six rifle guns and to go to a position down the road toward Malvern Cliff, to be shown to me by Captain Meade, Engineer Corps, and there to open upon the enemy. I accordingly proceeded with six rifle guns, taken by sections from Brem’s, Branch’s, and French’s batteries, with the Thirtieth Virginia as a support, down the road toward the enemy’s position on Malvern Cliff. Captain Meade accompanied me, and designated two points as practicable for establishing a battery. Upon consultation with him, and also Major Stevens, Engineers, I selected a position, and after great difficulty succeeded in getting five guns in battery. This difficulty was caused by a heavy growth of forest timber and much underbrush. In order to get the guns in position it was necessary to leave the road and go for some distance through a thick wood.

In the mean time, while I was thus occupied, General Holmes had brought hs division down the road to support this advanced battery. Being in front myself I saw nothing of the batteries until 10 p. m. of that night, so that the facts I now give you relative to the loss of these guns are from the evidence of others and not from my own personal observation.

As soon as I had the rifle gun battery in position, and received word from General Holmes that the infantry were in position to support me, I opened fire. The enemy immediately responded with a very large battery, or rather a number of batteries, situated upon a commanding cliff or hill. Their guns occupied such an extent of ground that it gave them almost a cross-fire upon me. It was impossible to tell accurately the number of pieces that they had in battery. I tried to count them, but could not do so, as they made such a smoke that I could not see their lines clearly. I judged that they had from twenty-five to thirty pieces playing upon my battery. Being so much superior to me in metal, after about an hour’s firing they had pretty well disabled my battery, so many men being wounded that the guns could not be properly served, and it being necessary to disable the caissons in order to supply the pieces with horses, one or two limbers and caissons [were] blown up, &e. Under these circumstances I ceased firing and withdrew . my pieces. None of the guns or caissons which were in action were lost, but, as I afterward learned, unfortunately, the reserve batteries were so situated that the enemy’s shell and shot, which passed over my battery, fell among them. In addition, they were exposed to a heavy cross-fire from gunboats in James River.

At this time there appears to have been very bad conduct on the part of some of the artillery. Graham’s battery seems to have completely stampeded, the pieces and caissons got entangled among the trees, some of the drivers cut their traces and ran off upon the horses, and the whole thing resulting in the loss of two guns and three caissons. Of all this I was totally ignorant until about 9 or 10 o’clock at night. Captain Graham by that time had succeeded in collecting some of his horses and men. I went back with him and endeavored to recover his guns and caissons. One caisson was recovered, being near the road. The remaining carriages it was found impossible to find, owing to the darkness and the pieces being off the road in a thick wood.

Captain Graham went back in the morning, but reported that the enemy’s pickets had possession of the ground. He went again after the enemy had evacuated their position on Malvern Hill, but found that his guns had been taken off. He thinks that they were taken into Richmond under the supposition that they had been abandoned by the enemy. Upon this point I cannot even give an opinion. This whole matter will be made the subject of investigation, as General Holmes has ordered charges to be preferred against the officers, upon whom at present the responsibility appears to rest.

It is with pleasure that I turn from the relation of these mortifying circumstances in order to call to the favorable notice of the Department the gallant conduct of the few officers and men who were under my immediate command at the rifle battery. Captain Branch, First Lieutenant Cooper, of French’s battery, and First Lieutenant Coleman, of Brem’s battery, served their pieces themselves and did everything that men could do to encourage their men and make their fire effective under a very hot fire from a much larger number of the enemy’s guns. Lieutenant Cooper was wounded severely, but declined to leave the field until positively ordered to go to the surgeon. After he was disabled Sergts. Jesse Newton and George Newton had charge of his two pieces, and acted very gallantly. Other cases of individual good eonduct I witnessed, but cannot give names, as the men were mostly strangers to me.

Several of the batteries are much in need of men. There is a good deal of sickness among them, though generally not of a serious nature. I have directed the captains of batteries mostly in need of men to write to the officers in charge of the conscripts of their respective States and ask them to forward the number of conscripts necessary to fill up their batteries. General Holmes has recommended that Cohoon’s battalion, which has about 125 effective men, partly from Virginia and partly from North Carolina, be disbanded as an infantry battalion and the men assigned to the batteries of this division. If his recommendation should be complied with, this number would just about supply us.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,