Not War But Murder

"June 3. Cold Harbor. I was killed."

Thus read the last diary entry, found in the pocket of a dead Union soldier. He had made the entry himself, while all around him, other soldiers were writing names and home addresses on slips of paper and pinning them to the back of their coats.

These veteran soldiers knew what was coming, although it seems their commanders did not. Three full corps launched a disjointed attack against well-entrenched Confederates. In just eight minutes, the attack had petered out. Over 7000 Federals covered the Virginia soil. A few minutes later, the orders came down to renew the attacks, but at each level, from corps commander to captain, the orders were "followed" only by increased firing -- most of it blindly -- while remaining in position.

Grant said, "I regret this assault more than any one I ever ordered." Today it sounds more like WWI madness than part of Grant's successful campaign to end the Civil War.

But it was not so easy on the other side. While one CSA staffer called it "perhaps the easiest victory ever granted to Confederate arms by the folly of Federal commanders," from Lee's point of view, anything could happen. His army had "not a regiment" in reserve, and the volume of sound -- "It seemed more like a volcanic blast than a battle," -- rattled windows all the way back in Richmond.

Not War But Murder covers the week-long operation which marked the end of Grant's 30 day, "smash 'em up" campaign begun at Wilderness. Like a bloody chess match, Grant and Lee made move and counter move to get to this point, with Lee well aware that a false move could end the war quickly.