Site 4: Cold Harbor, June 1864
"The cries of the injured, who now had been three days without water or relief from pain, sank into a mewling."
-Shelby Foote |
Cold Harbor is part of Grant's Overland Campaign of 1864. Now in command of the entire Union army, Grant declared total war, attacking all of the rebel units by land and water, especially determined to destroy Lee's army. There were many battles in the campaign, but Cold Harbor was the climax. The majority of both armies were gathered North of Richmond, with some of their cavalry commencing a skirmish a few miles southeast at Cold Harbor. From June 1st-3rd, the entirety of the Rebel and Federal armies moved down towards Cold Harbor as well. They marched down and settled in a long line of trenches congregated across Cold Harbor, opening fire with a "fusillade so fierce that windows rattled in Richmond". Many wounded soldiers piled in the middle "no-man's-land", and there was a short stalemate in which neither Grant not Lee wanted to call a ceasfire to gather casualties. In a horriffic sight, the bodies were left out in the hot sun, until Grant gave in and called truce.
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Cold Harbor Hisory Animation: historyanimated.com/verynewhistorywaranimated/animations/OverlandAnimation.html