Cold Harbor

Cold Harbor

Richard J. LeFevre (1931 - 2000)

1991

watercolor and mixed media on paper

With the most significant fighting on June 3, the Battle of Cold Harbor, was fought southeast of Richmond from May 31 to June 12, 1864, during General Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign. This engagement contained the bloodiest 15 minutes of the Civil War with 7,000 soldiers falling during that time period. Grant (shown as the painting’s central figure) said afterwards that he regretted the last bloody assault was ever made. This was a noteworthy win for General Robert E. Lee who had 59,000 soldiers facing 108,000 federal troops, yet suffered half the Union casualties.

Bequest of the Artist