Richmond Battlefield Assn. Buys 11-Acre Parcel At Cold Harbor
By Deborah Fitts
(August 2008)

 RICHMOND, Va. — In “the most exciting project yet undertaken by our organization,” the Richmond Battlefields Association (RBA) in May purchased a key piece of the Cold Harbor battlefield.

The 11-acre parcel, fronting Beulah Church Road, was in the thick of fighting June 1, 1864, when 900 men of the 20th South Carolina Infantry, under Col. Laurence M. Keitt, attacked dismounted Union cavalry and were thrown back. Keitt was mortally wounded.

Later that day, troops of the Union 18th Corps under William F. “Baldy” Smith charged the other way till brought short by entrenched Southerners.

On June 3, the day of the most notorious fighting at Cold Harbor, Gen. John Martindale’s Union division “stepped off to its annihilation from this property,” according to RBA.

Martindale’s advance was part of a massive Union assault that failed in the face of Confederate artillery and infantry fire from behind entrenchments. Thousands of soldiers were struck down between the lines in less than an hour.

The property lies within the boundary of Richmond National Battlefield Park. Of the 1,415 acres within the park’s Cold Harbor unit, the park owns only 286 acres. The RBA parcel lies 275 yards east of the nearest park-owned land.

“We’re just delighted to be able to save battlefield land that would otherwise be lost to development,” said Robert K. Krick, an RBA board member and retired historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.

The 11 acres cost $245,000, including a modern home occupied by a renter. RBA is now seeking donations (see address at end). Eventually the association hopes to sell the land to the Richmond park and use the money to buy more land, Krick said.

The parcel lies across the road from Beulah Church, which was destroyed during the battle and later rebuilt. Two-thirds of a mile to the south is the best-known location at Cold Harbor, the five-way intersection at Old Cold Harbor Tavern (the tavern no longer stands).

The RBA property includes “a beautiful line of earthworks” that association members found “hidden in the woods.” The works were likely built for Union artillerists of the 18th Corps during the battle.

The two armies spent two weeks at Cold Harbor in May and June, accumulating 18,000 casualties. Historian Bruce Catton called Cold Harbor “one of the hard and terrible names of the Civil War, perhaps the most terrible one of all.”

The RBA parcel is open land with woods and the earthworks, plus the house. RBA President Julie Krick said the association got involved after “alert friends” spotted a for-sale sign and notified RBA.

Maps and other information on the property may be seen at RBA’s Web site, saverichmondbattlefields.org, and click on “successes.”

The small preservation group, with between 200 and 300 members, previously purchased 10 acres at the park’s Fort Harrison, and they partnered twice with the Civil War Preservation Trust in purchases at Glendale.

Krick called Cold Harbor “a renowned disaster” of such magnitude that it “still resonates over the years.” He said RBA “very much hopes [the purchase] will provide the impetus” for future purchases between this tract and the park-owned land.

Those interested in supporting RBA’s campaign to raise the money for the acquisition may send a check to the association at P.O. Box 13945, Richmond, VA 23225.