The Battle of Cold Harbor

June 1st – 3rd , 1864

The “character” of the United States' Civil War would take a drastic change from the earlier years. Gone were the grand ideas of a quick war and along with it the fervent patriotism that drove hundreds of thousands of men to enlist. The goal of the Union army was no longer the “drive to Richmond,” the Confederate capital. Instead, the Army of the Potomac would be used to destroy the army of Northern Virginia and hopefully end the war. The man behind this idea was the newly appointed Union Commander, General Ulysses S. Grant. In March of 1864, he was called back to Washington, D.C. and given command of all the Union armies in the field. Grant knew what needed to be done.

In early May, Grant headed south to eliminate Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army. While figures range on the estimates, Grant commanded about 110,000 soldiers while Lee had about 60,000 battle-tested veterans. Their first engagement was in the Wilderness surrounding Chancellorsville. A year earlier, Lee won probably what was his best-fought battle in this area. However, while the Union army would be roughed up, it would not turn tail and run. Instead, it actively pursued the Confederates and engaged them in several battles that clearly illustrated the bloody change that the Civil War had undergone. Consequently, no battle depicts this transformation better than Cold Harbor.

Grant moved to outflank Lee by “sidling to the left.” Lee responded to Grant's maneuver by crossing the North and South Anna Rivers, then the Pamunkey until both armies met at Cold Harbor. Lee had adopted a defensive position and had laid some very treacherous defensive fortifications. The Union commanders did think that the Confederate position was a strong and hurled three corps along a two-mile-long line.

The units that were engaged included the II Corp and the XVIII Corp, followed later by the IX Corp. 50,000 Union soldiers were walking into what only could be called a vortex of hell as they assaulted the Bethesda Church- Cold Harbor line. The Confederates, who were safely behind their earth works, slaughtered the advancing Union soldiers. It took about half an hour to send the stunned attackers back to the protection of their trenches, leaving 7,000 men dead or wounded on the field. Meanwhile, the Rebels only suffered 1,500 casualties.

This battle shocked both sides by its horrific nature and grisly outcome. Confederate General Evander Law described the attack in this way, “it was not war: it was murder.” Meanwhile, General Grant lamented over the loss of so many good men.

Cold Harbor is the only time Grant ever regretted his actions for men into a battle. Yet, Grant's determination to win helped him to overcome his grief and continue his near relentless pursuit of the Rebels. Soon, he would pin the elusive Army of Northern Virginia in the area around Petersburg, Virginia: and slowly squeeze the life out of it!

Nevertheless, this was not entirely an infantry engagement. Rhode Island Battery B had passed through Cold Harbor at eight A.M. and parked in an old cornfield in the suburbs of the town. The horses were unhitched and seemingly enjoyed being led to the water for a drink. The battery was again packed up and moved to the front. They took position on a high ridge overlooking sloping ground upon which the First Division lay in a line of battle. They had no more got into position when the Confederates artillery opened fire and shelled their line for a few minutes. The Rode Islanders promptly responded to this most discourteous action of the Rebels and sent shot and shell into the enemy battery. The Rebels soon ceased firing and the only injury sustained by Battery B was one horse being wounded. Battery B, like the most of the Union army, was dug in behind small, quickly built earthworks.

On the 3 rd , Battery B First Rhode Island Light Artillery was awakened by the enemy's bugles and the sound of there pickets firing at them. They harnessed their teams and returned their pieces to the position they held the day before. The Union infantry was under arms and preparing to assault the Rebel lines. The Union infantry made some initial success as the Rhode Island cannoneers watched 200 –300 prisoners captured along with three pieces of artillery. It was at the second Confederate line that the Union infantry was stopped and began to entrench themselves under heavy Rebel fire from both cannons and infantry.

With the initial Union assault, Battery B opened fire with shot and spherical case against the enemy artillery. This was an attempt to draw their fire from the Union infantry. The Rebels changed targets and began to hurl shells at Battery B. At first, their range was to long and the projectiles passed over the heads of the Rhode Island men. Then, the enemy's shells began to burst in the middle of their midst like a tornado. Dirt and debris was knocked about in every direct and temporality blinded the cannoneers for a while. Was this another Gettysburg for Battery B? Had the enemy gotten the correct range and was trying to destroy the battery? But no! The shelling only lasted a few moments and it was enemy shells that had gone wild. Meanwhile, Battery B continued to keep up fire against the Confederates while enduring some thirty minutes of enemy fire.

In spite of tense moments, Battery B sustained few casualties in the engagement at Cold Harbor. Two drivers were slightly wounded and one cannoneer, Francis Slaiger was wounded in the foot. That night, the Battery bivouacked at the breastworks and was greeted the next morning by Rebel artillery fire. Which Battery B promptly responded to and kept up this work for several hours. Fortunately, there were no further casualties.

While the Battle of Cold Harbor was over, this routine of exchanging rounds with the enemy would keep up for the next week. On June 12 th , Battery B received orders to withdraw and the move towards Petersburg had begun

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