Civil War Combat

Among all of the killing fields of the Civil War, certain battlegrounds have earned the right to be called legendary: Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. With a level of destruction and a rate of causalities unprecedented in American military history, each of these clashes would play a pivotal role in shaping the course and the ultimate outcome of the War Between the States. Civil War Combat would be useful for classes on American History, Military History and American Culture. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

OBJECTIVES: Students will examine the battlefield strategy of some of the Civil War's greatest conflicts. They will learn the causes and the impact of the Civil War and understand the enormity of the conflict that divided the nation.

NATIONAL HISTORY STANDARDS: Civil War Combat fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: Chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research capabilities, historical issues-analysis and decision-making for Era 5.

The Tragedy at Cold Harbor

In the spring of 1864, President Lincoln appointed General Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies. Relentlessly pursuing Lee's forces, Grant finally caught up with him outside of Richmond, Virginia, near a dusty crossroads tavern known as Cold Harbor. On June 3rd, Grant attacked, sending his troops into what some called a suicidal assault against the well-entrenched Confederate armies.

Discussion Questions

  1. General Ulysses S. Grant told his men that the objective of the Union Army was Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. What is an objective? Why was Lee's army Grant's objective?

  2. Cold Harbor was an obscure tavern that was known only to locals before the battle. Where is Cold Harbor?

  3. Although some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War took place at Cold Harbor, the battle is not as well know as the battles at Antitiem, Shiloh or Gettysburg. Why is the Battle of Cold Harbor less famous than these other battles?

  4. Why did President Abraham Lincoln place Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union forces?

  5. How did Grant differ from his predecessors who led the Union forces?

  6. General Robert E. Lee fought Grant's army to a stalemate at the Battle of the Wilderness. What is a stalemate?

  7. How did Grant replace the large number of soldiers that fell at the Battle of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania?

  8. What were Band Box Soldiers? Why did more seasoned soldiers use this term derisively?

  9. How did the men of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment hold their line after the death of their officer, Elijah Kelly?

  10. Discuss the use of trench warfare at the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Cold Harbor.

  11. What is the legacy of the Battle of Cold Harbor?
Extended Activities

  1. On a map of Virginia, trace the movements of the Federal and Confederate armies.

  2. The Union Army and the Confederate Army were also known as the Blue and the Gray. Research Civil War uniforms on the Internet and use your data to create a poster illustrating the uniforms worn by each side.
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