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Battle of Cold Harbor

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Battle of Cold Harbor

The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign, and is remembered as one of American history's most lopsided battles. Thousands of Union soldiers were killed or wounded in the frontal assault of June 3 against the fortified positions of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army—an action that intensified criticism of Grant's perceived indifference to heavy casualties. On May 31, as Grant's army once again swung around the right flank of Lee's army, Union cavalry seized the crossroads of Old Cold Harbor, about 10 miles northeast of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, holding it against Confederate attacks until the Union infantry arrived. Both Grant and Lee, whose armies had suffered enormous casualties in the Overland Campaign, received reinforcements. On the evening of June 1, the Union VI Corps and XVIII Corps arrived and assaulted the Confederate works to the west of the crossroads with some success. On June 2, the remaining forces of both armies arrived, and the Confederate troops constructed an extensive series of fortifications extending seven miles. At dawn on June 3, three Union corps launched an assault on the Confederate defenses at the southern end of the line. The attack was easily repelled, resulting in significant casualties for the Union forces. Attempts to assault the northern end of the line and to resume the assaults on the southern were unsuccessful. The armies confronted each other on these lines until the night of June 12, when the Army of the Potomac finally disengaged.

Infobox

Date
May 31 (1864-05-31) – June 12, 1864 (1864-06-13)
Location
Hanover County,near Mechanicsville, Virginia 37°35′N 77°17′W / 37.59°N 77.29°W / 37.59; -77.29
Result
Confederate victory

Tables

Casualty Estimates for the Battle of Cold Harbor · Aftermath
Killed
Killed
Source
Killed
Union
Wounded
Union
Captured/Missing
Union
Total
Union
Killed
Confederate
Wounded
Confederate
Captured/Missing
Confederate
Total
National Park Service
National Park Service
Source
National Park Service
Union
13,000
Confederate
2,500
Kennedy, Civil War Battlefield Guide
Kennedy, Civil War Battlefield Guide
Source
Kennedy, Civil War Battlefield Guide
Union
13,000
Confederate
5,000
King, Overland Campaign Staff Ride
King, Overland Campaign Staff Ride
Source
King, Overland Campaign Staff Ride
Union
12,738
Confederate
3,400
Bonekemper, Victor, Not a Butcher
Bonekemper, Victor, Not a Butcher
Source
Bonekemper, Victor, Not a Butcher
Union
1,844
Union
9,077
Union
1,816
Union
12,737
Confederate
83
Confederate
3,380
Confederate
1,132
Confederate
4,595
Eicher, Longest Night
Eicher, Longest Night
Source
Eicher, Longest Night
Union
12,000
Confederate
"fewthousand"
Rhea, Cold Harbor
Rhea, Cold Harbor
Source
Rhea, Cold Harbor
Union
3,500–4,000(June 3 only)
Confederate
1,500
Trudeau, Bloody Roads South
Trudeau, Bloody Roads South
Source
Trudeau, Bloody Roads South
Union
12,475
Union
2,456
Union
14,931
Union
3,765
Confederate
1,082
Confederate
4,847
Young, Lee's Army
Young, Lee's Army
Source
Young, Lee's Army
Confederate
788
Confederate
3,376
Confederate
1,123
Confederate
5,287
Source
Union
Confederate
Killed
Wounded
Captured/Missing
Total
Killed
Wounded
Captured/Missing
Total
National Park Service
13,000
2,500
Kennedy, Civil War Battlefield Guide
13,000
5,000
King, Overland Campaign Staff Ride
12,738
3,400
Bonekemper, Victor, Not a Butcher
1,844
9,077
1,816
12,737
83
3,380
1,132
4,595
Eicher, Longest Night
12,000
"fewthousand"
Rhea, Cold Harbor
3,500–4,000(June 3 only)
1,500
Trudeau, Bloody Roads South
12,475
2,456
14,931
3,765
1,082
4,847
Young, Lee's Army
788
3,376
1,123
5,287

References

  1. Battle of Cold Harbor Facts & Summary American Battlefield Trust
    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/cold-harbor
  2. Furgurson 2000, p. 525.
  3. Rhea 2002, p. 357.
  4. Cold Harbor National Park Service
    https://www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/cold-harbor.htm
  5. Bruce Catton, Never Call Retreat (Doubleday, New York, 1965) pp. 363–364
  6. Shelby Foote The Civil War: Yellow Tavern to Cold Harbor (Time Life Edition, 2000) pp. 87–110
  7. "Robert e. Lee's Last Great Victory: Clash at Cold Harbor"
    https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/12/14/lees-last-great-victory-clash-at-cold-harbor/
  8. "Battle of Cold Harbor | Summary"
    https://www.britannica.com/event/battle-of-Cold-Harbor
  9. Further information:Organization of Army of the Potomac, May 31, 1864: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXVI, Part 1,
    https://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar&cc=moawar&idno=waro0067&node=waro0067%3A4&view=image&seq=216&size=100
  10. Temporarily attached to the Army of the Potomac from the Army of the James. See: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXV
    https://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar&cc=moawar&idno=waro0067&node=waro0067%3A4&view=image&seq=196&size=100
  11. Eicher, p. 685; Esposito, text for map 136. Salmon, p. 295, cites Confederate strength of 62,000. Kennedy, p. 294, cites
  12. Return of Casualties in the Union forces, Battle of Cold Harbor, June 2–15, 1864 (Recapitulation): Official Records, Ser
    https://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar;cc=moawar;idno=waro0067;node=waro0067%3A4;view=image;seq=198;size=100;page=root
  13. Union casualties are from Bonekemper, p. 311, Confederate from Young, p. 240. Estimates from other authors are summarize
  14. Hattaway & Jones, p. 525; Trudeau, pp. 29–30.
  15. Eicher, pp. 661–662; Kennedy, p. 282; Jaynes, pp. 25–26; Rhea, p. 369; Grimsley, pp. 94–110, 118–129, provides details o
  16. Salmon, p. 253; Kennedy, pp. 280–282; Eicher, pp. 663–671; Jaynes, pp. 56–81.
  17. Earl J. Hess, Trench Warfare Under Grant and Lee: Field Fortifications in the Overland Campaign (2007)
  18. Jaynes, pp. 82–86, 114–124; Eicher, pp. 673–674; Salmon, pp. 270–271, 279–283; Kennedy, pp. 283, 286.
  19. Salmon, pp. 271–275; Kennedy, p. 285; Eicher, pp. 671–673, 675–676.
  20. Salmon, pp. 275–279; Kennedy, pp. 285–286; Eicher, pp. 676–679; Jaynes, pp. 124–130.
  21. Welcher, 980; Grimsley, p. 141; Salmon, p. 285; Kennedy, p. 289; Trudeau, pp. 236, 241.
  22. Jaynes, p. 137; Trudeau, p. 239; Grimsley, pp. 145–148; Esposito, text for map 135.
  23. Rhea, pp. 32–37, 41–44, 50–57; Eicher, pp. 671, 679, 683; Salmon, p. 288; Furgurson, pp. 43–47; Grimsley, pp. 149–151.
  24. Jaynes, p. 149; Furgurson, pp. 49–52; Salmon, p. 288; Grimsley, pp. 151–152; Rhea, pp. 68–71, 87–88.
  25. Grimsley, pp. 156–159; Kennedy, pp. 290–291; Salmon, pp. 290–294.
  26. King, pp. 295–296; Welcher, pp. 986–987; Kennedy, p. 291.
  27. Furgurson, pp. 58–60; Rhea, pp. 13, 162; Kennedy, p. 291.
  28. Welcher, pp. 994–997.
  29. Rhea, pp. 410–417.
  30. For an example reference to the First Battle of Cold Harbor, see "battles of Cold Harbor", Encyclopædia Britannica onlin
    https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125061/battles-of-Cold-Harbor
  31. Grimsley, pp. 196–199; Furgurson, pp. 81–82; Kennedy, pp. 291–293.
  32. Trudeau, pp. 262–263; King, p. 296; Kennedy, p. 293; Grimsley, pp. 199–201.
  33. Kennedy, pp. 291–293; Grimsley, pp. 202–203; Trudeau, p. 265.
  34. Jaynes, p. 152; Welcher, p. 986; Trudeau, pp. 266–267; Grimsley, p. 201; Furgurson, pp. 89–94.
  35. Furgurson, pp. 94–95; Welcher, pp. 986–987.
  36. Rhea, pp. 229–230.
  37. Rhea, p. 241; Furgurson, p. 99; Grimsley, pp. 203–206; Welcher, p. 988; Trudeau, p. 269, states that Smith's assault beg
  38. Grimsley, pp. 204–206; Welcher, p. 988.
  39. Rhea, pp. 256–59; Grimsley, pp. 208–209.
  40. Rhea, pp. 259–260; Furgurson, pp. 112–113.
  41. Jaynes, p. 154; Rhea, pp. 266–268; Trudeau, p. 273, states that the fighting stopped by 10 p.m.
  42. Kennedy, p. 293; Grimsley, pp. 207–208; Welcher, p. 989.
  43. Jaynes, p. 156; Furgurson, pp. 120–121; Grimsley, p. 207; Trudeau, pp. 276–277; King, p. 297; Welcher, p. 989.
  44. Welcher, p. 989; Salmon, p. 295; Grimsley, p. 208.
  45. McPherson, p. 735; Jaynes, p. 156; Grimsley, pp. 209–210.
  46. Foote, p. 290; Salmon, p. 296; Grimsley, p. 210; Trudeau, pp. 280, 297.
  47. Salmon, p. 296; Trudeau, p. 284; Catton, p. 267.
  48. Rhea, pp. 360–361; Grimsley, pp. 211–212; Trudeau, pp. 285–286, 289–290; King, p. 304.
  49. Grimsley, pp. 214–215; Trudeau, pp. 286, 290; King, p. 305.
  50. Rhea, pp. 353, 356; Grimsley, p. 215; Trudeau, pp. 286, 290–291.
  51. Welcher, p. 992; Grimsley, pp. 215–216.
  52. Rhea, pp. 374–379; Grimsley, pp. 216–217.
  53. Rhea, p. 234; Catton, p. 265. See additional casualty estimates in the Aftermath section.
  54. Grant, vol. 2, pp. 276–277.
  55. Grimsley, p. 220; Foote, p. 293.
  56. Rhea, p. 273.
  57. Catton, p. 267; Furgurson, pp. 181–182; Trudeau, p. 298.
  58. King, p. 311: "Under the accepted rules of warfare of the 19th century, the losing side in a battle was supposed to send
  59. Grimsley, p. 221.
  60. Furgurson, pp. 206–208.
  61. McPherson, p. 737; Trudeau, pp. 305–306; Eicher, pp. 686–687; Salmon, pp. 258–259; Grimsley, p. 223; Esposito, text for
  62. Salmon, pp. 259, 296, cites 55,000 total Union campaign casualties, 27,000 Confederate. Esposito, text to map 137, cites
  63. National Park Service Archived June 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (also Salmon, p. 296); Bonekemper, p. 311; Eicher,
    http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/va062.htm
  64. Rhea, p. 386. Claims for Union June 3 casualties in the 7,000 range can be found in Grimsley, p. 219, McPherson, p. 735,
  65. Unhallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg
  66. Kennedy, p. 294; Salmon, p. 259.
  67. Richmond Then and Now website.
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080518044125/http://richmondthenandnow.com/Cold-Harbor.html
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