And if the attack succeeded, Lee's right would be driven back into the Chickahominy River. Most importantly, the field had to still be in Union hands. Gen. Robert E. Rodes on the left, Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon on the right—used this area as their avenue of approach for an attack that began at 7 p.m. Warren later described this attack as a "feeler", and despite some initial successes, aided by the poor battle management of Crittenden, both Confederate probes were repulsed. Meade relieved Lockwood and replaced him with Brig. A Confederate described the carnage of double-canister artillery fire as "deadly, bloody work." Gen. William T. Wofford, through a swampy, brush-filled ravine. In the fighting, Grant's army had sustained 1,844 killed, 9,077 wounded, and 1,816 captured/missing. Wright decided to wait until after Smith arrived, which occurred in the afternoon, and the XVIII Corps men began to entrench on the right of the VI Corps. Two divisions of Early's Corps—Maj. I might say the same thing of the assault of the 22d of May, 1863, at Vicksburg. Barricades of earth and logs were erected. One blood-spattered diary from a Union soldier found after the battle included a final entry: "June 3. 94–110, 118–29, provides details on the failed campaigns (the. Union infantry reinforcements arrived throughout the day. Grant suspended the offensive at noon, and would later claim to have “always regretted that the…assault was ever made.”  The Confederates suffered about 1,500 casualties, losing one man to every four fallen Federals. Gregg and Wesley Merritt) to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad near Charlottesville. Salmon, pp. Robert E. Lee himself believed that “we must destroy this army of Grant’s before he gets to the James River. I saw no live man lying on this ground. Divisions of the American Battlefield Trust: The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A Union officer wrote, "The men bent down as they pushed forward, as if trying, as they were, to breast a tempest, and the files of men went down like rows of blocks or bricks pushed over by striking against one another." In the evening, the Federals managed to pierce a weak seam between two Confederate brigades before being repulsed by a desperate counterattack. Hoke obeyed what he understood to be his orders and did not join in the attack, which was quickly called back by Anderson. 203–206; Welcher, p. 988; Trudeau, p. 269, states that Smith's assault began at 5 p.m. Jaynes, p. 154; Rhea, pp. In planning for the attack, both Grant and Meade failed to issue specific instructions for the assault's target and trusted their corps commanders to reconnoiter the ground on their own. 270–71, 279–83; Kennedy, pp. Trudeau, p. 341, cites 54,000 Union, 32,000 Confederate. [13], After Grant's infantry had crossed to the south bank of the Pamunkey, Lee saw an opportunity on May 30 to attack Warren's advancing V Corps with his Second Corps, now commanded by Lt. Gen. Jubal Early. A newspaper correspondent wrote that the works were, "Intricate, zig-zagged lines within lines, lines protecting flanks of lines, lines built to enfilade an opposing line, ... [It was] a maze and labyrinth of works within works." Keitt's men approached the entrenched cavalry of Brig. In the end, the battle was tactically inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the campaign. Join us in the opportunity to create a remarkable legacy to leave for future generations by saving 185 acres of irreplaceable Civil War history at The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Bentonville. Although Lee was outnumbered, about 60,000 to 100,000, his men fought fiercely and the dense foliage provided a terrain advantage. On May 8, Union Maj. Gens. 290–94. In 5th century Germany, the words “heer” and “bergen” meant “army” and “shelter,” respectively. Burnside at one point was advised to attack Early's unprotected flank on Shady Grove Road, but he demurred.[36]. dog tags introduced in World War I. Grant and Meade launched no more attacks on the Confederate defenses at Cold Harbor. The battle was inconclusive, but it was one of the bloodiest cavalry engagements of the war. Wishing to exploit the advantage gained at Old Cold Harbor, Grant ordered Major General Horatio Wright's VI Corps to the area from Totopotomoy Creek and ordered Sheridan to hold the crossroads at all costs.