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The next day, Grant realized he had made a horrible mistake and launched no more attacks on the Confederate defenses. He later said that he regretted the decision to send in his men for the rest of his life. The Army of the Potomac stayed within its own lines until June 12, when they disengaged to march southwards toward the James River and attack Petersburg after the Battle of Cold Harbor, a crucial rail junction south of Richmond.
The Battle of Cold Harbor was the final victory won by Lee's army (part of his forces won the Battle of the Crater before Petersburg later in the year, but not in a general engagement), and its most decisive in terms of casualties. The Union army, in bravely attempting the futile assault, lost 13,000 men against a loss of only 1,500 for the well entrenched Confederates. The battle brought the toll in Union casualties since the beginning of May to a total of more than 52,000 as compared to 23,000 for Lee.
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought over the same ground as the Battle of Gaines's Mill during the Seven Days Campaign of 1862. In fact, some accounts refer to the 1862 battle as the First Battle of Cold Harbor, and the 1864 battle as the Second Battle of Cold Harbor. Despite the name, Cold Harbor was not a port city. It was named for a hotel located in the area which provided shelter (harbor), but not hot meals.
The Battle of Cold Harbor caused anti-war sentiment in the United States. Grant became known as the "fumbling butcher" for his poor decisions. It also lowered the morale of his remaining troops. But the campaign had served Grant's purpose—as foolish as his attack on Cold Harbor was, Lee was trapped. He beat Grant to Petersburg, barely, but spent the remainder of the war save its final week defending Richmond behind a fortified trench line: see Siege of Petersburg. The end of the Confederacy was just a matter of time.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Battle of Cold Harbor"