Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign

No other place in America offers the rare opportunity to preserve a single square mile of battlefield land where two of the Civil War’s most consequential battles were fought — separated by two years, but unified by geography, bloodshed, and historical weight. 

Gaines’ Mill: June 27, 1862 

As part of the Seven Days’ Battles outside Richmond, the Battle of Gaines’ Mill marked General Robert E. Lee’s first major victory as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Facing off against Union General Fitz John Porter and his 34,000 men, Lee launched the largest frontal assault of the entire Civil War — a coordinated attack involving over 30,000 Confederate troops.

After six hours of brutal combat, Lee’s forces overwhelmed the Union line, resulting in more than 15,000 casualties in a single day. 

This battle launched Lee's reputation and signaled a turning point in Confederate momentum in the Eastern Theater. The ground they fought over — woodlots, farmland, and ravines — remains largely untouched and visible today much as it appeared in 1862. 

Cold Harbor: June 1–3, 1864 

Two years later, the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant returned to the same ground during the Overland Campaign. This time, Union and Confederate forces fought a very different kind of battle. Entrenchments, artillery emplacements, and fortified positions turned Cold Harbor into a deadly stalemate. 

On June 3, 1864, Grant ordered a major frontal assault. In less than an hour, nearly 7,000 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, making Cold Harbor one of the bloodiest and most futile attacks of the war. The battle became the last major Confederate victory and deeply influenced Grant's shift toward siege tactics at Petersburg. 

 The very land at the heart of our campaign today lies at the center of both these battles — used first by Lee’s attacking forces in 1862, and later by Grant’s advancing troops in 1864. That overlap makes it uniquely significant: a double battlefield unmatched anywhere else in the United States.
 

With your support, this sacred ground — where thousands of Americans fought and fell — can be protected permanently. Not just for today, but for generations to come.
 

A Special Thank You: Limited Book Offer

As thanks for your support:

• Donate $100 or more, and receive a copy of The Battle of Gaines’s Mill: Race Against the Setting Sun by Robert E.L. Krick (Volume 2).
• Donate $200 or more, and receive both Volume 1 and Volume 2: To the Banks of the Chickahominy and Race Against the Setting Sun — the definitive two-part account of the Battle of Gaines’ Mill.

These volumes are a gift of gratitude for helping us finish this once-in-a-lifetime campaign. Supplies are limited, act now to claim your copies.