Wednesday, June 25, 1862 – the eve of battle. The uncertainty seems unbearable. The summer heat and humidity are oppressive, and the evening discussions fluctuate between frantic reservations and calm resolution. Then a courier arrives with General R.E. Lee’s Order Number 75, detailing the role that the Light Division would play in tomorrow’s operations.

Hill had been promoted to Major General on May 26 and he assumed command of the division the following day. Why did he call his division, the largest in the Army of Northern Virginia, the “Light Division?” Did he want his men to have a reputation for alacrity and agility? Was it to invoke the memory of a famous English Division during the Napoleonic Wars? Perhaps the men in the ranks had it right: "The name was applicable, for we often marched without coats, blankets, knapsacks, or any other burdens except our haversacks."

At 37, Hill is the youngest of Lee’s division commanders. Affectionate toward his men, at his best in battle, he was an ambitious leader and a soldier of high disciplinary standards. He had not yet, however, commanded this newly formed division in combat.

Imagine the tension, the uncertainties! Whatever doubts Hill may have entertained about his ability to lead so many troops in combat, he was probably aware that Lee himself had never commanded eve a company in battle. Would each be up to the task? What about the three untested brigades in his division? Are all preparations complete? Has anything been overlooked or forgotten? Will Stonewall Jackson, currently on the move, arrive at the right place, and in time, with his victorious troops from the Shenandoah Valley? Are the sketch maps accurate? Does everyone understand the plan? Can we achieve surprise?

For Hill, it is the beginning of a military career that is filled with daring, controversy, and mystery. He will serve under Jackson arriving on the battlefield of Antietam in the nick of time to save Lee’s army; defend the heights of Fredericksburg; open the Battle of Gettysburg; strike and defend the “Bloody Angle” at Spotsylvania; march to Ream’s Station; and die in the closing days of the war.

As for now, the star begins its rise. In the morning, General Hill would lead his "Light Division" toward the Union forces at Mechanicsville. It is the opening of the Seven Days Campaign, and the beginning of a fateful career. Months after the battle, Hill records in his after-action report: "It was never contemplated that my division alone would have sustained the chock of this battle…

By Gordon Phillips