At first light on June 3, 1864, over half of the Army of the Potomac rushed forward across a wide front in a high-stakes gamble, risking a frontal attack against well-fortified Confederate defenders for the chance to drive Robert E. Lee’s army into the Chickahominy River. On the Confederate right, a brief Union breakthrough produced hand-to-hand fighting. In the center, the attackers barely left the cover of their trees. On the left, brave Federal soldiers charged across open ground, only to fall by the hundreds. The Confederate line stood unbroken and remained intact until June 12, when the Union army slipped away. Cold Harbor produced numbing casualty figures: 13,000 for the Federals and approximately 5,000 for the Confederates during the two weeks of combat.
