Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign

The Opportunity

We have our work cut out for us. By the end of November, we must come up with $960,000 to make our next payment and purchase an additional 1.2-acre tract at Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor (that just became available).

That’s a huge figure without much time, but there’s some good news, too: We have reinforcements!

Thanks to generous partners who have provided about half the funds we need in the form of grants and other support, every dollar you give today will be doubled!

But, we still need to raise $501,000!

Help continue our crucial Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor campaign with the addition of new hallowed ground. Your gift will double in impact when you give now!

Donate now

The History

During the Battle of Gaines’ Mill on June 27, 1862, Confederate infantry and artillery deployed through these lands along Cold Harbor Road, eventually pushing southward to attack the right wing of the Union V Corps.

Two years later, on June 1, 1864, the same 1.2-acre tract was in the path of the Union VI Corps’ opening assault during the Battle of Cold Harbor.

The main Confederate line stood just about 500 yards to the west of this property, and later, the main Union line stood immediately behind it during the trench warfare that characterized Cold Harbor.

It’s another example of putting the puzzle pieces together.  

Some pieces are large, and some are small, but the more we add, the more progress we make toward telling the complete story of these important battlefields and creating a connected monument to our history, heritage, and heroes.

The late Ed Bearss, a former Trustee and renowned historian, famously said to his fellow board members: “Even if you have to sell every other piece of battlefield land the Trust has ever saved in order to preserve this land, you should do it. It’s that important!”

The Trust launched the Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign and broke the effort into phases. You may remember “Pickett’s Charge Five Times as Large” in Phase 1 ... “The Intersection” in Phase 2 ... “The Juncture at Griffin’s Woods” in Phase 3 ... and most recently “The Cavalry Charge” in Phase 4.

Will you please support this next puzzle piece of the Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign today? Your gift will be matched now through the land payment date in November.

LIMITED TIME: As a special thank you for your commitment to this campaign, if you’re able to make a gift of $100 today, you'll receive a copy of the first volume of Bobby Krick’s new, comprehensive history of Gaines’ Mill.

Donate now