The Battle of Cold Harbor
Updated: Aug 31
Abstract: The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31-June 12, 1864, near Mechanicsville, Virginia. The loss of soldiers and some of their stories.
Originally written by siblings, George & Deb McGraw, November 2023. Revised and edited by Erika Newcombe, Deb Hall, and Oliver Groom, August 2026.
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31-June 12, 1864, near Mechanicsville, Virginia. This was on the same ground as the Battle of Gaines’ Mill during the Seven Days’ Campaign in June 1862, fought two months before the 111th was mustered into service.
The men from the Union Army of the Potomac were disturbed to find skeletal remains as they prepared trenches. Skulls of former soldiers stared at the new ones. They were the skeletons of the soldiers left behind.
There is a well-known photo of African-American contractors on the Cold Harbor battlefield, which is an example of some of the bones being lifted from the trenches. The photo, dated early 1865, is a vivid and despondent reminder of how people from all backgrounds were retrievers of death in this time. Since several skeletons could not be identified and this was the era before dog tags, many soldiers would carry pieces of paper on themselves with their names and sometimes other information for easy identification if they were killed.
Sgt. Thomas Geer of Co. A wrote on June 6, “We are lying behind breastworks. We occupy the third line of works today. Yesterday we had the first … We have had two men killed and three wounded since I wrote you before … I believe we have got thirteen in our company now Thus far this has been an awful campaign. We have been under fire every day … Rebel sharpshooters are socking the bullets over here at the present time right smart and it is just so all the time. We like to the Rebs charge our works but we are not very fond of charging on theirs.”
On June 12, he wrote, “sharpshooters do pick away at us for certain. No man knows when his time comes. Occasionally the bullets whistle rather close to me as I sit here writing. If I make any crooked marks you must lay it to that … If you could see us fellows now you would think we look pretty rough…dust flies so most of the time. We can hardly see … I think we shall move from here today.”
On the 12th, Grant finally decided to abandon Cold Harbor and ordered the bands to play in order to cover the Union withdrawal across the Chickahominy River. Though Lee is credited with winning the battle by many historians, he told Lt. Gen. Jubal Early the week before, “We must destroy this Army of Grant’s before he gets to the James River. If he gets there, it will become a siege, and then it will be a mere question of time.”
In the thirteen days of battle at Cold Harbor, the Union suffered 12,738 killed, wounded, or captured, more than twice Lee’s 5,287 casualties.
Grant later wrote in his Personal Memoirs, “I have always regretted the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made … No Advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained.”
Dozens of known soldiers from the 111th did not survive the battle, but for many their service and stories have been preserved for eternity.
For example, Pvt. Casper Mandie of Co. B was killed on the picket line by an enemy gunshot wound on June 11, 1864. He has a veterans headstone at his final resting place at the Cold Harbor National Cemetery in Virginia. Casper was born around 1828. He enlisted in the war on August 8, 1862, in Savannah and was mustered in as a private in Co. B on August 20. When he died, he left behind his wife, Anna (maiden name: Costello).
Another notable casualty was Pvt. Franklin E. Roberts. Franklin was captured and sent to a POW camp where he switched sides, joining the 10th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. However, he was recaptured by victorious Union forces at the Battle of Egypt Station in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on December 28, 1864. When paroled in April 1865, he reenlisted in the 5th US Volunteers.
Cpl. Levi White was born on November 8, 1838, in Moravia, Cayuga County, New York. He was 24 years old when he enlisted in Moravia to serve three years. He mustered in as corporal, Co. I, on August 20, 1862, and was later promoted to sergeant. Levi was wounded at Bristol Station in October 1863 and again on June 1 at Cold Harbor. He was captured at Reams Station in August 1864, but when paroled, he returned to the regiment and was promoted to first lieutenant in December 1864.
He died at the age of 88 in 1927 and is buried in Roseburg National Cemetery. Levi had two wives in his life: Lucy Ann Reed White (1838-1892), whom he married in 1860, and then Ida Belle Norman White (1872-1932), whom he married in 1893. Between his two wives, Levi had 19 known children. The last of his kids, who was adopted, was Edith Collins White Schultz. She died in 1998. His other daughter, Martha Abigail White Wellhouser, lived to be 95 and died in 1992.
Other soldiers included:
Pvt. William B. Jones of Co. B was wounded while on picket duty on June 3;
Pvt. Daniel W. Lamson died either of his wounds or his time as a POW at Salisbury (North Carolina) where for a time he shared a tent with other members of the regiment;
Pvt. David Link of Co. E was wounded on June 3 but continued to fight;
Pvt. George L. Nelton of Co. C died of his wounds after being paroled from a POW camp;
Pvt. Duane Sherger of Co. G was captured on June 1, paroled, and died at Annapolis, MD, on December 16, 1864;
Pvt. Lewis Sherman was wounded on June 2 and subsequently discharged for disability on September 3, 1864;
Pvt. Nelson A. Skinner of Co. E was wounded on June 6 and transferred to Co. E, 4th US Artillery after the 111th mustered out on June 4, 1865;
Pvt. John Gowers of Co. C died as a POW at Andersonville;
Pvt. Harris Hall of Co. I was wounded on June 5 but continued to fight;
Pvt. William A. Harrington of Co. D died as a POW;
Pvt. Wellington M. Hinman of Co. E survived his time as a POW and mustered out in New York City in June 1865.
The 111th left Cold Harbor on June 12 with just over 100 men and three days of rations. They crossed the Chickahominy River at Long Bridge as the sun rose on the 13th and spent the next few days building breastworks. They went on to defend Wilcox Landing while waiting to cross the James River on the 15th. After crossing the river, they found themselves with food and good water. They were then ordered to march toward Petersburg but ended up heading in the opposite direction where they instead arrived back at City Point. The entire Second Corps was then ordered to countermarch back toward Petersburg.
The Wayne County Historical Society encourages anyone with family members who served and lived in Wayne or Cayuga Counties during the 1860s to contact the Wayne County Historical Society at info@waynehistory.org or (315) 946-4943. If you are not sure about your Civil War ancestry, you can follow up with the link below:
Photos:
A historical map by Robert Knox Sneden detailing the military tactics and troop positions during the Battle of Cold Harbor in Virginia
Illustration depicting the Battle of Cold Harbor in Virginia on June 1, 1864, based on a sketch by Edwin Forbes
Headstone of Pvt. Casper Mandie posted by “Dig Up” on findagrave
Photo of Levi White on findagrave uploaded by Martin Husk
Sources:
Civil War Medicine. “This Photograph Is One of the Most Famous Taken during the Civil War. It Shows a C…” Facebook, September 22, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarMed/posts/this-photograph-is-one-of-the-most-famous-taken-during-the-civil-warit-shows-a-c/10160892566396458/.
Find a Grave. “Casper Mandie.” Find a Grave Memorial, Memorial no. 73401176. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73401176/casper-mandie. Accessed July 8, 2026.
Find a Grave. “Levi White.” Find a Grave Memorial, Memorial no. 3887844. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3887844/levi-white
New York State Adjutant General. Roster of the 111th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers. New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/rosters/Infantry/111th_Infantry_CW_Roster.pdf
Wayne County Civil War Soldiers. “Franklin Roberts Service Abstract for His Time with the 111th New York Infantry.” Facebook, April 25, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/100064859401312/photos/franklin-roberts-service-abstract-for-his-time-with-the-111th-new-york-infantry/4842916939088311/
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