Battle of Cold Harbor begins near Mechanicsville, Virginia 150 years ago this hour (May 31 1864)


Video: 'Civil War Combat - Battle of Cold Harbor'

(Tuesday, May 31, 1864, 4:00 p.m. local time; during the Battle of Cold Harbor, part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War) — The Battle of Cold Harbor, remembered as one of American history’s bloodiest, most lopsided battles, began today as Union cavalry seized the crossroads of Old Cold Harbor, about 10 miles northeast of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, holding it against Confederate attacks until the Union infantry arrived.