 The Battle of Malvern Hill , also known as the Battle of Poindexter 's Farm , was fought on July 1 , 1862 between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia , led by Gen. Robert E. Lee , and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan . It was the final battle of the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War , taking place on a 130 @-@ foot ( 40 m ) elevation of land known as Malvern Hill , near the Confederate capital of Richmond , Virginia and just one mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) from the James River . Including inactive reserves , more than fifty thousand soldiers from each side took part , using more than two hundred pieces of artillery and three warships . 
