The Second Battle of Cold Harbor

Dec 18

2 min read

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Second Battle of Cold Harbor reading passage for Civil War unit

The Second Battle of Cold Harbor

May 31 - June 12, 1864

The First Battle of Cold Harbor is more commonly known as the Battle of Gaines’s Mill. It happened in 1862 when McClellan was running the Union army. The Confederates won, and McClellan retreated.

The Second Battle of Cold Harbor occurred days after the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Unable to break through Lee’s lines, Grant marched his men around the Confederate army with his sights set on

Richmond.

The Union and Confederate armies met again in the town of Cold Harbor at Bethesda Church on May 30, 1864. Grant was determined to defeat Lee and move on to Richmond, so he planned a massive attack on June 2. Unfortunately, the Union Corps led by Winfield Hancock was late arriving at the front, so the attack was postponed until the next day. The South was able to dig defensive trenches and prepare for the Union attack. The next day, Grant ordered the assault. It was a disaster, and everyone had known it would be. A diary found on one of the dead Union soldiers included the entry, “June 3. Cold Harbor. I was killed.” Grant himself listed the attack at Cold Harbor as one of his greatest regrets of the war.

On June 12, Grant again decided to move his men around Lee’s army to Richmond. This time, he

would travel through Petersburg.

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