The Washington herald., 1914-06-04
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
1se4-Gen Grants Army Was henehns Itself the Advanced
Positions hat Had the Assault Of the Day Before Cold
Harber-Seenes Between the Lines
tCopTrisht. Iei.)

Fifty years ago today Gen. Grants
army was intrenching itself in the ad-
vanced positions that had been gained in
the assault OF the day before at Cold
! Harbor.
In some places the Federal trenches
| were only fifty yards from those OF the
| Confederates The greatest distance be-
tween the lines was about 500 yards
The works zigzagged across the country
| from the Chickahominy River for nearly
six miles northwestward. to the neigh
borhood of Bethesda Church, crossing the
highways to Richmond.
Lee held the higher ground and the
stronger position. He had thus been able
to repel Grants assault, though not with
the slaughter generally represented in
history. Historians of the time. some
Of whom had a private grievance against
Grant, represented that he lost laUO
men in half an hour" at Cold Harbor.
His actual loss for the day of June ,
the fighting did not cease until after
nightfall-was not more than 1850 men. or
less than per cent of the strength or his
army.
Apparently he had gained nothing by
the assault, yet he accepted the result
as part of the fortunes of war and pre-
pared to turn II to account. His pur-
pose now was to hold Lees army where
1t was until an expedition that ne had
sent up the Shenandoah Valley, under
Gen. David Hunter. could reach Lynch
burg and cut Lees communications by
rail from the interior of Virginia, from
which he drew his supplies. Grant also
expected the army then on the James
River to seize Petersburg, on the south
Of Richmond and cut the railroads con-
Meeting Richmond with the South At
lantic States. These movements were
part of his original plan of campaign.
It was highly important that Lee be
kept fully occupied while these efforts
in other parts OF the field were being
made to carry out Grants program OF
breaking the Confederate military power
by reducing its means of continuing the
war.
Aid to 4,5I7 Wounded.
The close proximity of the two ar
mics at Cold Harbor brought on a sit
uation unwitnessed since the siege OF
vicksburg. Sharpshooters worked in
cessantly along the two lines of red
clay breastworks. man could not
show his head above the parapet with
out danger to his life.
This rendered impossible the burial
of the dead or the succoring of the
wounded that lay between the lines.
On other parts of the field the work of
gathering up the wounded and carry
ing them to the field hospitals in the
rear had gone on all night. Rain had
failed most of the night The medical
ofYicers and stretcher bearers groped
their way in the dark through the
thickets, swamps and rough clearings
of that part of the battlefield over
which the advance in the assault had
been made. Often they were. guided
by the sroans of the sufferers they
sought, All night the surgeons in the
hospital tents worked at the operating
table.
None felt a deeper sympathy for the
wounded than Gen. Grant. Although
he could hurl men in masses into the
face of death, he was keenly sensitive
to individual suffering. According to Gen.
Horace Porter, of GRANTS stan. Gen.
Grants time was given up almost en-
tirely to thinking of the care of the
wounded" on June T. Every preparation
nossible had been made for prompt relief
Of these sufferers.
The wounded succored up to the night
of June 4 from the battle Of June num-
bered I.517. About LOO were believed to
be still on the field.
I'rocessioa of the Maimed.
The army was particularly well placed
for the prompt dispatch Of the wounded
to the rear, as It was only twelve miles
from its water base at White House, on
the Pamunkey River. Here sufficient
transports were assembled to take the
wounded to Northern hospitals.
There not being enough ambulances to
transport all promptly to the rear army
wagons had been brought into use. On
the morning of June a train OF wagons
and ambulances was organized. including
total Of AIT vehicles. which in single
line would have reached to White House.
On June forty-three new ambulances
arrived.
Many Of the slightly wounded started
for White House on foot rather than 60
to TIE field hospitals Thus All day on
Juns melancholy procsssioa Of blood