The Battle of Malvern Hill was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under George B. McClellan. It was the final battle of the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War, taking place on the 130-foot (40 m) elevation of Malvern Hill, near the Confederate capital of Richmond. Including inactive reserves, more than 50,000 soldiers from each side took part, using more than 200 pieces of artillery. The Union's V Corps, commanded by Fitz John Porter, took up positions on the hill on June 30. The battle occurred in stages: over the course of four hours a series of blunders in planning and communication caused Lee's forces to launch three failed frontal infantry assaults across hundreds of yards of open ground, unsupported by Confederate artillery, charging toward strongly entrenched Union infantry and artillery. These errors provided Union forces with an opportunity to inflict heavy casualties.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Malvern_Hill

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1770:

Lexell's Comet approached Earth at a distance of 0.015 AU (2.2 million km; 1.4 million mi), closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexell%27s_Comet

1916:

First World War: The first day of the Battle of Albert, the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme, became the bloodiest day in the British Army's history, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albert_%281916%29

1960:

Ghana became a republic, with Kwame Nkrumah as its first president. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah

2002:

Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and DHL Flight 611 collided in mid-air over Überlingen, Germany, killing all 71 people aboard both aircraft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

motlopi: The shepherd tree or shepherd's tree (Boscia albitrunca), an evergreen tree native to southern and tropical Africa which is one of the most important forage trees of the Kalahari. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motlopi

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Every morning I pick up my newspaper, get the obituary section, see if I'm listed, and if not, I have my breakfast.   --Carl Reiner https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Reiner