Cold Harbor: The Early Actions

On May 31, 1864, while the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia fought along Totopotomoy Creek four miles to the north, Federal and Confederate cavalry converged on the Old Cold Harbor crossroads. After their victory along Matadequin Creek the previous day, the Federal troopers of Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert’s division advanced on the important intersection from the east. There they found Old Cold Harbor defended by Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry division and elements of Gen. Thomas Clingman’s infantry brigade, but Torbert’s men attacked and captured the crossroads. With the intersection in Federal hands and reinforcements for both sides approaching, the fighting at Cold Harbor had only begun. This ground saw significant fighting on May 31 and for several days afterward, including Confederate and Federal attacks on June 1 as both sides struggled for advantage, and on June 3 Federal soldiers of the 18th Corps advanced from here in Gen. Grant’s effort to break the Confederate line. Modern Beulah Church stands behind the site, rebuilt to replace the wartime structure that burned during the battle.

Virginia · United States