On May 31, 1864, the Battle of Cold Harbor begins during the American Civil War. Taking place in Hanover County, Virginia, that battle saw Union General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Pototmac (and XVIII Corps from the Army of the James) pitted against Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The battle started as Union forces, initially cavalry and later reinforced by infantry, capture the location of Old Cold Harbor on May 31. By June 2, both armies had arrived in force. Though the Confederate forces were outnumbered (~62,000 troops versus ~117,000 for the Union), they quickly dug in and established defensive fortifications. It was upon these fortifications that the Union would suffer excessively high casualties, particularly on the main assault on June 3. The push on June 3 began at 4:30 a.m. By 12:30, Gen. Grant was forced to accept defeat and order the advance called off following an estimated 7,000 Union casualties in exchange for no gains against the Confederate defenders. From June 4 to June 12, the battle devolved into trench warfare as soldiers fired from the cover of their trenches, sometimes only yards apart. Realizing that he and Lee were now in a stalemate, Grant withdrew in order to cross the James River to target the rail junction at Petersburg, Virginia, on June 12.

The Battle of Cold Harbor had ended in a Confederate victory, the last major victory Lee and his army would see for the remainder of the war. Some 18,000 men had been killed, captured, or wounded (of which ~13,000 were Union troops).