Gaines' Mill Battlefield, Hanover County, Va.

Gaines' Mill Battlefield, Hanover County, Va.

Gaines’ Mill Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign

It's the home stretch — let’s cross the finish line together!

The Opportunity

After 25 years of tireless effort, the American Battlefield Trust is in the final stretch of one of the most ambitious preservation campaigns in its history.  

With your help, we’ve already saved over 655 acres at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor — land where two pivotal battles of the Civil War were fought, just two years apart.

Now, only $184,295 stands between us and the permanent protection of an additional one square mile of this historic land. A generous partner in the Richmond area is offering to match up to $50,000, doubling the impact of your gift today.

This is our opportunity to complete a preservation effort decades in the making. Every gift brings us closer to ensuring that this hallowed ground will be saved — forever.

Donate now

The History

No other place in America offers the rare opportunity to preserve a single square mile of battlefield land where two of the Civil War’s most consequential battles were fought — separated by two years, but unified by geography, bloodshed, and historical weight. 

Gaines’ Mill: June 27, 1862 

As part of the Seven Days’ Battles outside Richmond, the Battle of Gaines’ Mill marked General Robert E. Lee’s first major victory as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Facing off against Union General Fitz John Porter and his 34,000 men, Lee launched the largest frontal assault of the entire Civil War — a coordinated attack involving over 30,000 Confederate troops.

The Battle of Gaines’ Mill, June 27, 1862
The Battle of Gaines’ Mill, June 27, 1862 David Geister

After six hours of brutal combat, Lee’s forces overwhelmed the Union line, resulting in more than 15,000 casualties in a single day. 

This battle launched Lee's reputation and signaled a turning point in Confederate momentum in the Eastern Theater. The ground they fought over — woodlots, farmland, and ravines — remains largely untouched and visible today much as it appeared in 1862. 

Cold Harbor: June 1–3, 1864 

Two years later, the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant returned to the same ground during the Overland Campaign. This time, Union and Confederate forces fought a very different kind of battle. Entrenchments, artillery emplacements, and fortified positions turned Cold Harbor into a deadly stalemate. 

A Kurz and Alison lithograph of the Battle of Cold Harbor.
"Battle of Cold Harbor" by Kurz & Allison. Library of Congress

On June 3, 1864, Grant ordered a major frontal assault. In less than an hour, nearly 7,000 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, making Cold Harbor one of the bloodiest and most futile attacks of the war. The battle became the last major Confederate victory and deeply influenced Grant's shift toward siege tactics at Petersburg. 

 The very land at the heart of our campaign today lies at the center of both these battles — used first by Lee’s attacking forces in 1862, and later by Grant’s advancing troops in 1864. That overlap makes it uniquely significant: a double battlefield unmatched anywhere else in the United States.
 

Preserve the Legacy

Historians have called this land: 

“The single most desirable tract on any battlefield… Nowhere else does a single piece of land offer so much relating to a pair of major battles.” 

Gary Gallagher, Civil War Historian 


With your support, this sacred ground — where thousands of Americans fought and fell — can be protected permanently. Not just for today, but for generations to come.
 

A Special Thank You: Limited Book Offer

The Battle of Gaines’s Mill, Volumes 1 and 2

As thanks for your support:

  • Donate $100 or more, and receive a copy of The Battle of Gaines’s Mill: Race Against the Setting Sun by Robert E.L. Krick (Volume 2).
  • Donate $200 or more, and receive both Volume 1 and Volume 2: To the Banks of the Chickahominy and Race Against the Setting Sun — the definitive two-part account of the Battle of Gaines’ Mill.

These volumes are a gift of gratitude for helping us finish this once-in-a-lifetime campaign. Supplies are limited, act now to claim your copies.

Donate now

“The hallowed ground at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor is crucial to understanding the Civil War — these are lands where Gen. Robert E. Lee launched the largest attack of the entire Civil War; where two years later, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant launched massive attacks over the same ground; and where, combined, thousands died and more than 25,000 were wounded or captured at these two battles.”
David N. Duncan, President

The Final Push

1
Acre Targeted
$50,000
$184,295

Gaines' Mill

In the afternoon of June 27, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee attacked General Fitz John Porter’s isolated V Corps at Gaines’ Mill. The battle...

Cold Harbor

The American Battlefield Trust's Battle of Cold Harbor page includes history articles, battle maps, helpful weblinks, and recommended books for this...