Editing Battle of Cold Harbor (section)

===June 1===
[[File:Overland Campaign June 1.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Positions of the armies on the afternoon of June 1, 1864]]
[[File:ColdHarbor-June1.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Cold Harbor, June 1]]
Robert E. Lee's plan for June 1 was to use his newly concentrated infantry against the small cavalry forces at Old Cold Harbor. But his subordinates did not coordinate correctly. Anderson did not integrate Hoke's division with his attack plan and left him with the understanding that he was not to assault until the First Corps' attack was well underway, because the Union defenders were disorganized as well. Wright's VI Corps had not moved out until after midnight and was on a {{convert|15|mi|km}} march. Smith's XVIII Corps, having been mistakenly sent to the wrong location several miles away, did not reach Old Cold Harbor in time to assist Torbert.<ref>Kennedy, pp. 291–293; Grimsley, pp. 202–203; Trudeau, p. 265.</ref>

Anderson led his attack with the brigade formerly commanded by veteran Brig. Gen. [[Joseph B. Kershaw]], which was now under a less experienced [[South Carolina]] politician, Col. [[Laurence M. Keitt]]. Keitt's men approached the entrenched cavalry of Brig. Gen. [[Wesley Merritt]]. Armed with seven-shot [[Spencer repeating rifle|Spencer repeating carbines]], Merritt's men delivered heavy fire, mortally wounding Keitt and destroying his brigade's cohesion. Hoke obeyed what he understood to be his orders and did not join in the attack, which was quickly called back by Anderson.<ref>Jaynes, p. 152; Welcher, p. 986; Trudeau, pp. 266–267; Grimsley, p. 201; Furgurson, pp. 89–94.</ref>

By 9 a.m. Wright's lead elements arrived at the crossroads and began to extend and improve the entrenchments started by the cavalrymen. Although Grant had intended for Wright to attack immediately, his men were exhausted from their long march and they were unsure as to the strength of the enemy. Wright decided to wait until after Smith arrived, which occurred in the afternoon, and the XVIII Corps men began to entrench on the right of the VI Corps. The Union cavalrymen retired to the east.<ref>Furgurson, pp. 94–95; Welcher, pp. 986–987.</ref>

For the upcoming attack, Meade was concerned that the corps of Wright and Smith would not be sufficient, so he attempted to convince Warren to send reinforcements. He wrote to the V Corps commander, "Generals Wright and Smith will attack this evening. It is very desirable you should join this attack, unless in your judgment it is impracticable." Warren decided to send the division of Brig. Gen. [[Henry H. Lockwood]], which began to march at 6 p.m., but no adequate reconnaissance of the road network had been conducted and Lockwood was not able to reach the impending battle in time to make a difference. Meade was also concerned about his left flank, which was not anchored on the Chickahominy and was potentially threatened by Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry. He ordered Phil Sheridan to send scouting parties into the area, but Sheridan resisted, telling Meade that it would be impossible to move his men before dark.<ref>Rhea, pp. 229–230.</ref>

At 6:30&nbsp;p.m. the attack that Grant had ordered for the morning finally began. Both Wright's and Smith's corps moved forward. Wright's men made little progress south of the Mechanicsville Road, which connected New and Old Cold Harbor, recoiling from heavy fire. North of the road, Brig. Gen. [[Emory Upton]]'s brigade of Brig. Gen. [[David Allen Russell|David A. Russell]]'s division also encountered heavy fire from Brig. Gen. [[Thomas L. Clingman]]'s brigade, "A sheet of flame, sudden as lightning, red as blood, and so near that it seemed to singe the men's faces." Although Upton tried to rally his men forward, his brigade fell back to its starting point.<ref>Rhea, p. 241; Furgurson, p. 99; Grimsley, pp. 203–206; Welcher, p. 988; Trudeau, p. 269, states that Smith's assault began at 5 p.m.</ref>

To Upton's right, the brigade of Col. [[William S. Truex]] found a gap in the Confederate line, between the brigades of Clingman and Brig. Gen. [[William T. Wofford]], through a swampy, brush-filled ravine. As Truex's men charged through the gap, Clingman swung two regiments around to face them, and Anderson sent in Brig. Gen. [[Eppa Hunton]]'s brigade from his corps reserve. Truex became surrounded on three sides and was forced to withdraw, although his men brought back hundreds of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgian]] prisoners with them.<ref>Grimsley, pp. 204–206; Welcher, p. 988.</ref>

While action continued on the southern end of the battlefield, the three corps of Hancock, Burnside, and Warren were occupying a 5-mile line that stretched southeast to Bethesda Church, facing the Confederates under A.P. Hill, Breckinridge, and Early. At the border between the IX and V Corps, the division of Maj. Gen. [[Thomas L. Crittenden]], recently transferred from the [[Western Theater of the American Civil War|West]] following his poor performance in the [[Battle of Chickamauga]], occupied a doglegged position with an angle that was parallel to the Shady Grove Road, separated from the V Corps by a marsh known as Magnolia Swamp. Two divisions of Early's Corps—Maj. Gen. [[Robert E. Rodes]] on the left, Maj. Gen. [[John B. Gordon]] on the right—used this area as their avenue of approach for an attack that began at 7 p.m. Warren later described this attack as a "feeler", and despite some initial successes, aided by the poor battle management of Crittenden, both Confederate probes were repulsed.<ref>Rhea, pp. 256–59; Grimsley, pp. 208–209.</ref>

At this same time, Warren's division under Lockwood had become lost wandering on unfamiliar farm roads. Despite having dispatched Lockwood explicitly, the V Corps commander wrote to Meade, "In some unaccountable way, [Lockwood] took his whole division, without my knowing it, away from the left of the line of battle, and turned up the dark 2 miles in my rear, and I have not yet got him back. All this time the firing should have guided him at least. He is too incompetent, and too high rank leaves us no subordinate place for him. I earnestly beg that he may at once be relieved of duty with this army." Meade relieved Lockwood and replaced him with Brig. Gen. [[Samuel W. Crawford]].<ref>Rhea, pp. 259–260; Furgurson, pp. 112–113.</ref>

By dark, the fighting had petered out on both ends of the line. The Union assault had cost it 2,200 casualties, versus about 1,800 for the Confederates, but some progress had been made. They almost broke the Confederate line, which was now pinned in place with Union entrenchments being dug only yards away. Several of the generals, including Upton and Meade, were furious at Grant for ordering an assault without proper reconnaissance.<ref>Jaynes, p. 154; Rhea, pp. 266–268; Trudeau, p. 273, states that the fighting stopped by 10 p.m.</ref>