June 1, 1864

By this time in the battle at Cold Harbor, both sides were badly disorganized. Some of the Union divisions were sent to the wrong places, the Confederates didn't seem to know where they were supposed to be....just complete chaos on both sides.

Confederate Major General Richard H. Anderson led the attack. Union Brigadier General Wesley Merritt's men were attacked in their trenches by Colonel Lawrence Keitt (who was leading General Joseph Kershaw's men). During this fighting, Keitt was mortally wounded.

Major General Robert F. Hoke didn't join in this attack because he didn't think that he was supposed to join.

Finally at 9am, Major General Horatio G. Wright approached the crossroads of Old Cold Harbor but his men had just hiked 15 miles in 9 hours and were exhausted. General Ulysses S. Grant wanted Wright to join in the fighting but Wright insisted on letting his men rest. So they didn't fight at this time.

6:30 PM: Grant's attack finally begins. By dark (probably around 8 pm - they didn't have daylight savings time during the Civil War) the fighting dies down.

The Union had 2,200 casualties and they had captured 750 prisoners.

The fighting on this day almost seems to be a comedy of errors. Murphy's Law was in full effect here.....everything that could have gone wrong, most certainly did. What I find amazing about this whole day of fighting is that they had already been in the Civil War for 3 years....all the bugs should have been worked out and they should have been a well-oiled machine....yet it seems that with all the errors and miscommunication, it was something that you would expect from a 3 month regiment. What happened here????