The Battle Of Cold Harbor

[Jim Klag]

After sparring along the Totopotomoy northeast of Richmond, Grant ordered Major General Philip Sheridan's cavalry to move south and capture the crossroads at Old Cold Harbor. Arriving near the intersection, the Union force ran into Major General Fitzhugh Lee's Confederate horsemen. A sharp contest ensued, soon joined by Confederate infantry under Brigadier General Thomas Clingman of Major General Robert Hoke's division. After a short battle, Union cavalry drove the Confederates beyond the crossroads. The Rebels then started digging new positions a half mile to the southwest.

https://www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/cold-harbor.htm

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/cold-harbor

https://www.thirteen.org/programs/ken-burns-the-civil-war/civil-war-battle-cold-harbor/

 

[alexjack]

The later battles of the War were grim affairs, portents of World War I.

 

[Nitti]

Grant's worst moment.

 

[Jim Klag]

Grant's worst moment.

Yep. Even he said so.

 

[Nitti]

IIRC he he would like to takke back that attack.

 

[jgoodguy]

The later battles of the War were grim affairs, portents of World War I.

I agree

 

[Al Mackey]

Grant's worst moment.

Grant's or Meade's?

Gordon Rhea on Cold Harbor:


https://studycivilwar.wordpress.com/2019/06/14/cold-harbor-with-gordon-rhea/

 

[5fish]

I do think sending thousands of men to their deaths should be such an issue at Cold Harbor... Grant had sent thousands of men to their deaths before Cold Harbor... He was doing his duty trying to achieve an adjective... In the big scheme, the deaths were few in number... The question of why did it get all blown out of part portion...?

Sending men to their deaths is what generals do, it just is...

 

[Wehrkraftzersetzer]

Sending men to their deaths is what generals do, it just is...

but if the general who did it thinks it was senseless or unnecessary he might develop (even bigger) nightmares

my job is not to die for my country my job is to make the other poor sucker die for his

 

[5fish]

This is what I say back when Grant commanded armies you either flanked your opponent, or you withdraw , or lastly assault your opponent's position. So why do we want to criticize a general trying to win a battle and a war. He only had a few choices back then.

Cold Harbor had 7000 casualties, Franklin had 7000, Grains Mill had over 7000 on both sides. Frederickburg was over 7000...

Cold Harbor was 7 mile long front and the union assault 77,000 men... The surprised is it only 20min. or less to mute the assault...

 

[5fish]

Cold Harbor was like 7 picket charges... And if you compare the numbers it's comparable to Pickett's charge so what's the whining for... If I remember right Pickett's charge total causalities was like 2500...

 

[Wehrkraftzersetzer]

Picket's Charge casualities wher "all"

 

[5fish]

Picket's Charge casualities wher "all"

No... But I was wrong it was a total 7000 casualties... So it makes Cold Harbor even less murderous...

 

[Andersonh1]

The later battles of the War were grim affairs, portents of World War I.

Even down to the trench warfare.

 

[5fish]

Grant's worst moment.

This is Grant's regret... I think its a falsehood

Grant, the Union’s recently appointed general-in-chief, would one day write in his memoirs, “I regret this assault more than anyone

Gordon Rhea on Cold Harbor:

I have ever ordered.” But in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Cold Harbor, Grant took a very different tone as he drafted his post-action report to the War Department. “Our loss was not severe,” he wrote, “nor do I suppose the enemy lost heavily.”

We are talking about a man who did not like to retrace his path and never showed regret but on his death bed, he shows remorse... Lew Wallace asks Grant to recant the criticism of his(Lew) performance at Shilo years later but Grant would not do it, never gave a reason, why. The point is Grant did not recant because he does not revisit old issues... His whole regret over Cold Harbor, I bet was an editor's doing...

 

[jgoodguy]

This is Grant's regret... I think its a falsehood

Grant, the Union’s recently appointed general-in-chief, would one day write in his memoirs, “I regret this assault more than anyone


I have ever ordered.” But in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Cold Harbor, Grant took a very different tone as he drafted his post-action report to the War Department. “Our loss was not severe,” he wrote, “nor do I suppose the enemy lost heavily.”

We are talking about a man who did not like to retrace his path and never showed regret but on his death bed, he shows remorse... Lew Wallace asks Grant to recant the criticism of his(Lew) performance at Shilo years later but Grant would not do it, never gave a reason, why. The point is Grant did not recant because he does not revisit old issues... His whole regret over Cold Harbor, I bet was an editor's doing...

I agree

 

[Wehrkraftzersetzer]

No... But I was wrong it was a total 7000 casualties... So it makes Cold Harbor even less murderous...

if You want to compare casualities You have to compare men used to men lost / killed / crippled the sheer number is no measure
You should also compare objectives gained (even if the objective was to prevent a break through)
the sheer number of casualties is senseless


oc a WW1 General produced more casualities thann Julius Cesar, he had far more men to waste

 

[5fish]

if You want to compare casualities You have to compare men used to men lost / killed / crippled the sheer number is no measure
You should also compare objectives gained (even if the objective was to prevent a break through)
the sheer number of casualties is senseless

Hummm... I think comparing total causalities and total number of troops involved is reasonable... Was objective obtained a good question in most cases no... I think that is why everyone thinks these assaults were mistakes...

I think we are looking in hindsight at theses assaults... Franklin Hood had to stop AoC from crossing the river. He had only one choice to assault the union lines... Grant had to grind Lee... In the end they have one option to assault the enemy's lines... They had no planes, no tanks, no hydraulic artillery... Hindsight blinds us to thier plight....

 

[Al Mackey]

This is Grant's regret... I think its a falsehood

Grant, the Union’s recently appointed general-in-chief, would one day write in his memoirs, “I regret this assault more than anyone


I have ever ordered.” But in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Cold Harbor, Grant took a very different tone as he drafted his post-action report to the War Department. “Our loss was not severe,” he wrote, “nor do I suppose the enemy lost heavily.”

We are talking about a man who did not like to retrace his path and never showed regret but on his death bed, he shows remorse... Lew Wallace asks Grant to recant the criticism of his(Lew) performance at Shilo years later but Grant would not do it, never gave a reason, why. The point is Grant did not recant because he does not revisit old issues... His whole regret over Cold Harbor, I bet was an editor's doing...

He didn't write that in his memoirs. Here's what he wrote: "I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made. I might say the same thing of the assault of the 22d of May, 1863, at Vicksburg. At Cold Harbor no advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained. Indeed, the advantages other than those of relative losses, were on the Confederate side." That's Grant himself, not an editor.

 

[Al Mackey]

This is what I say back when Grant commanded armies you either flanked your opponent, or you withdraw , or lastly assault your opponent's position. So why do we want to criticize a general trying to win a battle and a war. He only had a few choices back then.

Cold Harbor had 7000 casualties, Franklin had 7000, Grains Mill had over 7000 on both sides. Frederickburg was over 7000...

Cold Harbor was 7 mile long front and the union assault 77,000 men... The surprised is it only 20min. or less to mute the assault...

Myth.