New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-15
Grant Regretted Final Assault at Cold Harbor

would, therefore. find difficulty in CO.
operating II each corps moved In line
perpendicular 10 the breastworks in 'front.'
II would gradually become separated from
its neighbor just as II they were travelling
on so many spokes Of a giant wheel away
from the hub. AS they separated their
TANKS would be exposed 10 raking fire
from the Confederate works representing
the fely.
Grant wanted possession Of the roads
through New Cold Harbor az the James
/ and 10 Richmond. He wanted another
fling at Lee before going south OF the
James Lee had chosen his position well
for the protection of his tanks. II was
necessary to attack directly in front
Grant ordered the famous assault TO be-
gin at 4:SO a. m. on June 3. IL was 10 be
made along the entire line.
With the coming Of daylight the men
rose. ready for their bloody task. They
lined up. and soon were marching TO their
fate. for il was an impossible task that
lay before them The battle that ensued
is as difficult Of description as would be the
actual impact of two trains in a railroad
collision. Before the eyes could grasp the
image. il had dissolved. II is said that the
actual contact with the enemy lasted less
than eight minutes. In the course Of that
brief space of time LOO Union soldiers were
killed and 4.5l7 fell bleeding from their
wounds. No similar period Of time in the
Civil War yielded such an awful harvest.
lt was Marye'e Mill, with addition The
mon fell in pyramids pointing toward the
Confederate works. the bravest az the top,
under the convercing fire from the semi
circle az guns. whose bullets struck front
and hank alike.
Barlow. Of Hancocks corps. took an adj
vauced work He could 90 no further but
retiring only seventy-hve yards. ne in
trenrhed A wedge-shaped swamp. split
Gibbons division Of the same corps into
two columns as II proceeded. Colonel
lanes p MacMahon. the young and gal
1ant commander Of New York regiment
I'm this division. and a few Of his men won
the honor Of reaching the parapet Of the
enen1v'z main line Selling the color from
the diving color bearer as he fell, he leaped
upon the parapet, planted IL. then fell
dead in the ditch. bleeding from numerous
wounds Tver's brigade took an advanced
work and some hundreds OF prisoners but
could 90 no further Wrights corps car
=
fo retire with A heavy loss. He intrenched
a few yards from the point attained by MS
line Smiths divisions were torn 10 rags.
Burnside had captured some rifle pits.
Warren drove back John b. Gordon. The
day had hardly begun when the curtain
was rung down upon Cold Harbor by
force OF circumstances.
General Grant. finally convinced that the
impossible could rot bee accomplished.
called OFF the assault and directed the
troops To- intrcnch where they We're The
lines were so elise together that during
the night the frequent collisions Of the
plcltets gave the impression that both sides
were attacking.
Between the lines the scene was awful.
thousand men. either dead or too badly
wounded TO escape lay upon the ground.
II was death 10 20 out upon that bullet
swept strip OF debatabie ground. For
three days they lay there while General
Grant corrcspOnded with Lee in an effort
10 make an arrangement which would per
NIT their rescue. While discussion as 10
the method by which this should be ac-
complished was going on. the not sun and
the night damp alternated in their play
upon the bodies Of the soldiers lying there.
AS few OF the Confederates had been killed
or wounded. and practically none outside
the works. the enemy was less Interested
than tie Union soldiers. In the darkness
of the night some Of the wounded were
saved by their comrades. VINO ventured
out or dug passageways 10 them. Nearly
All ~ the other wounded died, one after
another