Ulysses Grant and the Battle of Cold Harbor

Cold Harbor was a battle in the waning months of the Civil War that's been overlooked by many for the simple reason that it cast a shadow over an otherwise very successful military campaign. Cold harbor was a disaster for the Union Forces.

Following the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse General Grant once again began a flanking movement around the right side of General Robert Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in an effort to capture Richmond.

Unknown to Grant,Lee Army had recently been reinforced. General Lee now having a large force on hand anticipated Grants move on his flank, and dispatched Calvary to a crossroads on his maps known locally as Old Cold Harbor.

Arriving at the crossroads the Confederate Calvary encountered Union Calvary led by Major General Phillip Sheridan, and the battle was joined on May 31 1864. In fierce fighting the Union Forces were able to drive the Confederates from the crossroads around 4:00 pm. At this point General Lee sent Major General Robert Hoke's infantry division as well as Major General Richard Anderson's First Corps to Cold Harbor to reinforce the Calvery.

In an effort to retake the crossroads Lee ordered Anderson and Hoke to attack the union lines early on the morning of June 1st 1864. For some reason Anderson never relayed this order to General Hoke so First Corps were the only troops attacking the union lines that morning. As the Confederates moved forward they were met by fire from entrenched Calvary troops using their new seven shot Spencer carbine rifles and the Confederate attack was repulsed.

Around 9:00 am that morning lead elements for Major General Horatio Wright's IV corp began to move into the federal lines. General Grant wanted Wright's corps to attack immediately but having marched his men all night to reach the scene of battle,Wright chose to rest his men until the afternoon when reinforcements would arrive. That afternoon Major General William Smith's XVIII corps arrived as reinforcement to Wright's forces. Around 6:30 pm both Corps attacked. Moving forward over unfamiliar ground they were met by heavy firing from Anderson and Hoke's men and were forced to retire back to their lines.

The next day believing if enough force was applied to the Confederate line they would collapse,and to achieve this goal Major General Winfield Scott Hancock's II corps was placed on General Wright's left. With three corps now,General Meade felt he could overwhelm the Rebel forces. II Corps having traveled all night to reach Cold harbor, General Meade allowed the troops to rest until June 3rd. In all this time General Lee had time to dig in his forces.

Moving forward early in the morning of June 3rd 1864 the three corps met heavy enemy fire. Lee and his engineers had laid out fields of fire and sighted their guns so as to create a series of crossfires. The three corps were channeled into killing zones. Both Grant and Meade pressed their Corps Commanders to continue the attack even after it was apparent that it was a futile effort on their part.

In all about 1800 Union troops died in less than ten minutes in the attack on Cold Harbor and another 9000 were wounded and 1800 listed as missing. This was Robert E Lee's last major victory of the Civil War. For Grant it was an embarrassment and regret to him for the rest of his life. Grant stated in his memoirs " I have always regretted the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made"