Cold Harbor Battlefield Park

[Jamieva]

This is a county park, not NPS. You park next to the Gaithright House. The trail is about 1 mile. It is paved and heavily wooded so even in summer its a good walk. Rifle pits, trenches and artillery emplacements of the VI corps are visible throughout

 

[Jamieva]

Some more pics

 

[Kathy the history sleuth]

This was a very interesting walk. Thanks for posting!

 

[Jamieva]

Last set of sign pics

 

[Jamieva]

This is the preserved artillery position it looks much more impressive in person than this

 

[Belfoured]

Interesting stuff. This looks like an important part of the historical GM battlefield in the Garthright House area - accurate?

 

[on again]

Note the drawing of a Union sentiel in the 3rd Picture of the 1st message was actualy scetched aoutside Fort Mahone at Petersburg VA {Civil war times Illustrated magazine)

related link showing ovelapping of 1862 Gaines Mills Battelfield and 1864 Cold Harbor battelfields

April 1865 Gaines Mills/Cold Harbor picture | Period Photos & Examinations

John Reekie Pictures April 1865 #914 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011649975/ Gaines Mill http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012647827/ Gaines Mill #916 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003000088/PP/ gaines Mill http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011649976/ gaines Mill aka #916 #918...

civilwartalk.com

 

[Jamieva]

Interesting stuff. This looks like an important part of the historical GM battlefield in the Garthright House area - accurate?

If you look at the ABT trust map of Gaines Mill. The Gaithright House is on the right hand side and the brown surrounding it is this park.

 

[milhistbuff1]

Thank you for sharing these! Gaines/Cold both hold special meaning for me.

 

[dlofting]

It's been awhile since we were in Virginia, but I recall Cold Harbor as being a great place to see well preserved Civil War trenches, etc.

 

[on again]

If you look at the ABT trust map of Gaines Mill. The Gaithright House is on the right hand side and the brown surrounding it is this park.

Tour the 1864 Cold Harbor Battlefield outside Richmond

Tour the Battlefield of the 1864 Civil War Battle of Cold Harbor outside Richmond, with maps and links to monuments and historical markers

stonesentinels.com

Cold Harbor National Cemetery in Mechanicsville, Virginia - Find a Grave Cemetery

Established in 1866 on the Battle of Cold Harbor site, this small cemetery containing 2,110 Union soldiers, of which 1,300 are unknown. This cemetery is...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Trooper "D"]

This is the preserved artillery position it looks much more impressive in person than this

View attachment 559537

Thanks for the photos. I was out there in 1977 and I believe it might have been at that very park. Trees were not so thick then.
Cheers!

 

[Trooper "D"]

Note the drawing of a Union sentiel in the 3rd Picture of the 1st message was actualy scetched aoutside Fort Mahone at Petersburg VA {Civil war times Illustrated magazine)

related link showing ovelapping of 1862 Gaines Mills Battelfield and 1864 Cold Harbor battelfields

April 1865 Gaines Mills/Cold Harbor picture | Period Photos & Examinations

John Reekie Pictures April 1865 #914 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011649975/ Gaines Mill http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012647827/ Gaines Mill #916 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003000088/PP/ gaines Mill http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011649976/ gaines Mill aka #916 #918...

civilwartalk.com

Yes I saw that also. Must have been similar to the picket post in front of Ft. Mahone.
Cheers!

 

[Crazy Delawares]

Maybe AI can be put to GOOD use and show the ground at the time of the battle.

 

[bdtex]

This is a county park, not NPS. You park next to the Gaithright House. The trail is about 1 mile. It is paved and heavily wooded so even in summer its a good walk. Rifle pits, trenches and artillery emplacements of the VI corps are visible throughout

Good stuff. Didn't know a County Park was there. Visited both Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill on a cold Monday morning in January 2016. Pretty sure all I did and had time for was the NPS Cold Harbor driving tour and the Gaines Mill walking trail.

 

[Belfoured]

Good stuff. Didn't know a County Park was there. Visited both Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill on a cold Monday morning in January 2016. Pretty sure all I did and had time for was the NPS Cold Harbor driving tour and the Gaines Mill walking trail.

They should publicize it in concert with the NPS. I didn't know about it either (should have looked more closely at my ABT maps) and it's an important part of the Gaines's Mill battlefield.

 

[LCYingling3rd]

Thanks for all the great photos! I was unaware that Hanover County has preserved so much as well! That is excellent!

Cold Harbor is high on my to do list. It is quite an infamous battle, and I had ancestors on both sides - in the 2nd VA Infantry and the 87th PA Infantry. (Yes, my ancestor in the 2nd VA somehow survived the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania!) I would love to see the ground that they traversed and the trenches they dug and fought from. I had heard the trenches were well preserved and your images do help verify that!

I have toured the northern end of the 1864 Overland Campaign and still need to tour the southern end, including North Anna, the Richmond area, hopefully the Bermuda Hundred, and finally the Petersburg area. That is probably more than one trip because there is so much to see. Cold Harbor alone would be at least a day or two. I had planned to hike the NPS trails because they are right where the 87th PA was - in the 1st Bgd., 3rd Div., 6th Corps. Now I want to tour the Hanover County Parks area as well! (And throw in the 1862 battlefields!?! Oh my! lol)

Thanks for inspiring me! I will have to start planning some trips! Great pics!

 

[milhistbuff1]

Maybe AI can be put to GOOD use and show the ground at the time of the battle.

That would be handy, use period era topographical maps/descriptions to extrapolate...