The National tribune., 1890-03-13
MALVERN HILL.
Plan 10 Build u Monument on the Historic
Ground.

thing about Malvern Hill, Va, where the great
battle of July ], 1862, was fought. Malvern
Hill and surroundings have been so often de-
scribed, that will only say that it is about 10
miles from Richmond, aud about three.quarters
of mile from tho James River Turkey Creek
flows from the base of the hill directly TO tho
James, and tide water GIBBS and flows to the
depth of four or five feet There is plenty of
fish and game in the country, and springs OF
clear, cold water abound. Malvern Hill con
tains about 1000 acres, ut least one-half of
which forms tho plateau whore McClcllan's
army was posted during the battle, which is
nearly 100 feet higher than the surrounding
country. From the house you can SEQ rs far rs
the eye can roach. City Point. eight miles down
the river, is in plain view while the smoke of
the factories in Richmond by day and the lights
at night are plain TO be seen.
The Pickett plantation adioiuS Malvern Hill
on the west, and is the spot where Lee massed
his forces, who buttcd their brains ont against
the hill where MrC'loIlan's troops were formed
for portion of tho Army of the Potomac
whipped the Army of Northern Virginia in
this action. and then Mcclellan was afraid to
stay and reap the advantage of his victory.
But have stayed here for number of years
and mean 10 do SO until am ready To leave. aud
also propose 10 get n lot more Nauks to he'll mo
hold the fort if | can, on this Pickett place,
which was owned by tho rebel General who
3
About 10 rods from tho Malvern line ia u
monument of the Randolph family of ltevolu
tionary fame. Tho following inscription ap-
pears on one side Of the monument:
This pillar was laid in tho caamitous year
I'LL, when all the great rivers Of this country
were swept by inundation never before expo.
TiencGd, which changed the face of nature aud
left traces Of violence that will remain for
ages"
The base Of this monument is about FIVE feet
square and the hight about six feet aud is of
finely finished sandstone. with regular base bed
and crown mold worked in the stone, aud is
filed with brick. On top &c the base Is a square
SHAFT on pillar which tapcrs to about 10 inches
nj the top The monument is about - feet high
from the ground 10 the top.
But old Malvern towers above everything in
the neiEhborhoGd, dnd n "- Yankee" is
holding the place, which most Of the natives
don't like, and they have done their level bcst
to down me aud drive me from the country
Bat belonged TO the old Fourteenth Corps
aud served under Pap Thomas aud rs is
we'll known, we usually stayed and an going
TO keep up the record OF the old corps; but my
best ncighbor3 were in the rebel army aud
were, believe, good soldiers. The mcaucst
people | meet arc those who were not in the
army and who are not good for anything, or
the rising generation, who have nothing, and
who dislike To see Yankee come here and
help improve the country. They are generally
n low cunning set, aud are easy TO beat. So that
the 1anks are taking the country aud bringing
ii to the front in spite Of all opposition.
have been working hard FOR the past two
years 10 develop old Malvern lIll, where there
IS an lneXhausllbic amount of limo clay for
bricks or tiles and think there is also plenty
OF iron, find splendid specimens aud
other indications Of mineral wealth. / have
also developed mari which has an unknown
depth, as ! have tnnnelcd. bored and dug 30
feet and have found no bottom TO the deposit
which is of fine quality. / have interested
some New York capitalists in the matter. aud
We will soon have extensive works for grind
ing up the shells and bones, aud we expect
soon 20 be shipping this mari to ali parts of the
habitablc globe. We have dug out monster
bones, some Of them so ducomposcd that IL was
impossl bio 20 tell the size oil them. while others
were rs sound as when FIRST deposited. which
must have been rs long ago Rs when Noah built
the Ark or Jonah swallowed the whale. / do
not know that we have found any Of the bones
of that whale, but We found the vertobra of
some animal which was five inches in diameter
and seven inches long. But the majority of
tue deposit is scashcils, the bones OF sea ser
penis aud fish, and green sand, and it is all al
least 100 feet above tide water. Can any of The
comrades explain how these bones and shells
got thereH There are also millions of sharks
teeth, from one half inch 10 four inches long
by three inches across.
A thousands Of people visit tho old battle
Held OF Malvern Hill annually, / propose To
make II Summer resort aud build hotel
large enough t. accommodate all visitors, FOR IL
IS the most pleasant place on a hot day that /
have ever have seen, aud / have been a traveller
IN my day aud lived in California for II wears,
where everybody thought the acme Of climate
wa reached. ! also propose 10 build wharf.
so that the steamers from New York Philadel-
phia aud other points eau l8ud within a short
IL. q
right OF way for q railroad 70 connect with the
roads running into Richmond, which will be
built very soon.
j want to build n monument on the highest
place on Malvern Hill, whore IL can be seen for
20 miles around and want 1t 10 be a National
affair, with statue Of Honest Old Abe Lin.
coin F" on the top Of IL. Such u monument as
J propose 70 erect could be seen from Richmond
with field glass.
The comrades who put themselves up ms n
traget for three or four years starved In prison
or suffered with cold, or wore themselves out
Chasing such men as Con. ROsser, who feels so
badly because one SOuthcTncr could not whip
more than one Yankee, and very often not
even that number, ought 10 take an interest in
my project 70 thus embcllish the old battle
ground. But speaking of one Southern man
whipping five Yankees, would like 10 say that
my brigade captured more men TT the battle of
Jonesbor0. Ga, than they numbered, with their
batteries, TOO. i would like some comrades 10
state how many prisoners were taken there.
and how tho number compared with our
present.for-duty roll
To 20 back TO the monument, ] think IL
should face toward Richmond, and ask the
opinion OF comrades upon the subject | have
also made a souvenir cannon brick from clay
taken from the position occupied by one
Of our batteries July l. 1862 on which Ia ip-
scribcd Malvern Hill. with date Of battle. |
There Is also cannon unlimbcrcd for action |
broken sword, and cann0n-b balls lying upon |
the ground are also depicted.
bad an artist come here aud take views Of /
The house, the plateau behind the house where /
MctIelans line was formed, from the top of /
the hill toward the river, which shows Turkey !
Bend, where the Runboats lay Turkey Creek |
and the brick works, aud the knoll where the |
battery stood and where the clay was dug 10 |
make the souvenir brick and Of tho ground in |
front Of the hill, where the rebels made their /
charge.
IL may interest some Of the comrades "a |
know something about Malvern Hin House |
which was McLlcans and Porters headanar-
ters and was abandoned by Mcclellan and |
occupied by the Couicdcratcs. IL was retal,en !
by Gems. Hooker aud Solgwick Aug. A, and
was held by them for two days, aud was again
occupied by the rebels There are the remains
OF an old fort, which was bult in 1912, in one
corner Of the yard facing the river which com.
mands the river road. The house was built of