Lieutenant General Ulysses S.

Grant graduated form

the United States Military Academy at West Point. He
served in the Mexican-American War and rejoined the
Union when the civil war began in 1861. In 1864
Congress promoted him to Lieutenant General, a
position that puts all U.S. Armies in his control. Grant
would go on to be one of the greatest military leaders
of all time.
Robert E. Lee was the military leader of the Confederate Army. He, like Grant, graduated
from the United States Military Academy at West Point, but he was second in his class.
Although he was a genius on the battle he first started off as an officer in the Corps of
Engineers working on coastal ships and defenses. He served in the Mexican-American war
and came out with three brevets. After the war he became super-intendant of West Point. He
led and educated many men that would soon serve with or against him. Abraham Lincoln
offered him the job of commanding the union forces in 1861 just before the Civil War began.
He declined it and became the leader of the Confederate Army

The Battle of Cold Harbor took place on May 31 through June

12. The Confederate Army made a seven-mile long series of
trenches that helped them to win the battle. Union casualties
numbered 12,500. Confederate casualties numbered 5,000.

The Battle of North Anna was on May 23 through 26. General Lee arranged his troops in an
inverted V that separated the Union Army into three. The Confederates successfully
defended the attack made by Hancock and the whole army fell back because of the poor
communication between the sections and went around the eastern side of the Confederates.

Free African-Americans cleaning up the remnants of soldiers one year after the battle.
During the battle, Grant made a treaty with Lee to pick up the remains of the fallen
soldiers. There were so many corpses that they couldnt retrieve them all.

Drawing of what the Confederate trenches at Cold Harbor looked like.

They were called Breastworks because they were about breast-high.
The artillery was placed in the front to take down large groups of union
soldiers at a time. The trenches were crucial in the Confederates victory.

A drawing of how the Union Army looked like at Cold Harbor.

They would run all together in lines, like the revolutionary war.
This made it very easy for Confederate artillery to kill many
soldiers in little time. The Union soldiers would advance in
regiments and division.

This is the crossing at Jericho Mills where the Union attacked the
confederates during the Battle of North Anna. There attack was
successful. In fact, it was so easy that once the fighting stopped they sat
down and started making dinner while the Confederates readied to
attack back. Lucky, when they did fight back, the Union had artillery
coming across the lake and they destroyed the Confederates yet again.

Union soldiers on top of a hill on the north bank of the North Anna near
Oxford. They hid in bunkers like these with sheets above them to
escape the hot sun.

Before any major battles, Grant ordered that the

Richmond railroad bridge over the North Anna be
brought to the ground