| The first Battle of Cold Harbor, also known as the Battle of Gaines's Mill, was part of the Seven Days' Battles (June 25–July 1), which ended the Peninsular Campaign (April 4–July 1), the large-scale Union effort to take Richmond, Virginia, during the second year of the American Civil War. After fighting at Mechanicsville and Beaver Dam Creek, General George B. McClellan ordered Union troops to high ground between Gaines's Mill and Cold Harbor. When Confederate General Robert E. Lee attacked on ... |