Date
11-17-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Steven Woodworth
Keywords
Cold Harbor, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Overland Campaign, American Civil War, Petersburg, Trevilian Station, Haw's Shop, George Meade
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Provost, Nathan Lee, "Only a Matter of Time: The Battle of Cold Harbor 28 May-12 June 1864" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4918.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4918
Abstract
On 3 June 1863, Ulysses Grant launched his final assault of the Overland Campaign, hoping to break Lee's army at the Battle of Cold Harbor. Grant had reason to believe the indomitable Army of Northern Virginia would break, but the well-entrenched Confederate army repulsed the attack. Nevertheless, the Army of the Potomac did not retreat and managed to press the dug-in Confederate forces, forcing them on the offensive and losing significant casualties and casualties they could ill afford. The Union men did not give up hope even after the bloody repulse of 3 June and maintained relatively high morale. This work examines how the Army of the Potomac successfully disengaged from the Cold Harbor battlefield without detection and won an operational and strategic victory.
