Battle of Cold Harbor

1864 in VirginiaBattles commanded by Ulysses S. GrantBattles of the American Civil War in VirginiaBattles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil WarConfederate victories of the American Civil War ... and 6 more

Conflicts in 1864Hanover County in the American Civil WarJune 1864 eventsMay 1864 eventsOverland CampaignUse mdy dates from February 2020

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 unnecessary and lopsided battles. Thousands of Union soldiers were killed or wounded in a hopeless frontal assault against the fortified positions of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army. 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 remainder of both armies arrived and the Confederates built an elaborate series of fortifications 7 miles long. At dawn on June 3, three Union corps attacked the Confederate works on the southern end of the line and were easily repulsed with heavy casualties. Attempts to assault the northern end of the line and to resume the assaults on the southern were unsuccessful. Although he was far more optimistic at the time, Grant said of the battle in his Personal Memoirs, "I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made. ... No advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained." In fact, he was thinking about another attack two days later. The armies confronted each other on these lines until the night of June 12, when Grant again advanced by his left flank, marching to the James River. In the final stage, Lee entrenched his army within besieged Petersburg before finally retreating westward across Virginia.

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Battle of Cold Harbor
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Nearby Places

Cold Harbor, Virginia

Cold Harbor is an unincorporated community in Hanover County, Virginia. The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in the area in 1864, during the American Civil War.

Cold Harbor National Cemetery

Cold Harbor National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia. It encompasses 1.4 acres (5,700 m2), and as of the end of 2005, had 2,110 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is managed by the Hampton National Cemetery.

Battle of Gaines' Mill

The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles which together decided the outcome of the Union's Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the inconclusive Battle of Beaver Dam Creek (Mechanicsville) the previous day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee renewed his attacks against the right flank of the Union Army, relatively isolated on the northern side of the Chickahominy River. There, Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter's V Corps had established a strong defensive line behind Boatswain's Swamp. Lee's force was destined to launch the largest Confederate attack of the war, about 57,000 men in six divisions. Porter's reinforced V Corps held fast for the afternoon as the Confederates attacked in a disjointed manner, first with the division of Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill, then Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, suffering heavy casualties. The arrival of Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's command was delayed, preventing the full concentration of Confederate force before Porter received some reinforcements from the VI Corps. At dusk, the Confederates finally mounted a coordinated assault that broke Porter's line and drove his men back toward the Chickahominy River. The Federals retreated across the river during the night. The Confederates were too disorganized to pursue the main Union force. Gaines' Mill saved Richmond for the Confederacy in 1862; the tactical defeat there convinced Army of the Potomac commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan to abandon his advance on Richmond and begin a retreat to the James River. The battle occurred in almost the same location as the Battle of Cold Harbor nearly two years later.

Selwyn (Mechanicsville, Virginia)

Selwyn is a historic home located near Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia. It was built about 1820 and expanded in the 1850s. It is a large 2+1⁄2-story, five-bay, frame I-house dwelling in a combination of the Federal and Greek Revival styles. The house sits on a brick foundation, has a gable roof with dormers, and exterior end chimneys. Also on the property is a contributing frame dairy.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Powhite Creek (Hanover County)

Powhite Creek is a stream in Hanover County, Virginia. It is a small left-hand branch of the Chickahominy River. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Powhite Creek are 37.5595898 (North), -77.2991446 (West) and the approximate elevation is 59 feet above sea level.

Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm

The Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farms took place June 27–28, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War's Peninsula Campaign. While the battle at Gaines's Mill raged north of the Chickahominy River, the forces of Confederate general John B. Magruder conducted a reconnaissance in force that developed into a minor attack against the Union line south of the river at Garnett's Farm. The Confederates attacked again near Golding's Farm on the morning of June 28 but in both cases were easily repulsed. The action at the Garnett and Golding farms accomplished little beyond convincing McClellan that he was being attacked from both sides of the Chickahominy.

Battle of Totopotomoy Creek

The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek locally , also called the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown, was a battle fought in Hanover County, Virginia on May 28–30, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. As Grant continued his attempts to maneuver around Lee's right flank and lure him into a general battle in the open, Lee saw an opportunity to attack the advancing V Corps, under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren with the Second Corps of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early. Early's divisions under Maj. Gens. Robert E. Rodes and Stephen Dodson Ramseur drove the Union troops back to Shady Grove Road, but Ramseur's advance was stopped by a fierce stand of infantry and artillery fire. Grant ordered his other corps commanders to conduct a supporting attack along the entire Confederate line, which was entrenched behind Totopotomoy Creek, but only the II Corps of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock crossed the stream; they were quickly repulsed. After the battle, the Union army resumed its moves to the southeast and the Battle of Cold Harbor.

Oakley Hill

Oakley Hill is a historic plantation house located near Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia. It was built about 1839 and expanded in the 1850s. It is a two-story, frame I-house dwelling in the Greek Revival style. On the rear of the house is a 1910 one-story ell. The house sits on a brick foundation, has a standing seam metal low gable roof, and interior end chimneys. The front facade features a one-story front porch with four Tuscan order columns and a Tuscan entablature. Also on the property are a contributing smokehouse and servants' house.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Henrico Theatre

The Henrico Theatre is an historic theater building located in Henrico County, Virginia. The theater was built in 1938, and was constructed in the Art Deco style using poured concrete (a new technology at the time of construction) and brick. The building has three bays, of which the centermost is recessed. That central bay features the theater's name in large stylized letters, the building's original marquee, and a clock designed to echo the shape of the building and created by the International Business Machine Corporation (later IBM). The auditorium initially sat 782; its capacity was reduced to 400 after a renovation.

Highland Springs, Virginia

Highland Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, 4.3 miles (7 km) east of Richmond. The population was 16,604 at the 2020 census.

Laurel Meadow (Mechanicsville, Virginia)

Laurel Meadow is a historic home located near Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia. It was built about 1820, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, hall-parlor-plan house in the Federal style. The house sits on a brick foundation, has a gable roof with dormers, and exterior end chimneys. Also on the property are a contributing one-room schoolhouse and a barn.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.