I write to you with incredibly exciting news, decades in the making:
Some of the most important unprotected battlefield land in the United States, hundreds of critical acres at the site of both the Battle of Gaines’ Mill and the Battle of Cold Harbor, is saved forever.
One of the largest preservation efforts in our history, these 600+ acres more than double the amount of hallowed ground we have protected on these irreplaceable battlefields.
In 1862, this land witnessed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launch one of the largest frontal assaults in the Civil War. In 1864, it saw Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant order one of the war’s bloodiest attacks. Across two battles, thousands of men made the ultimate sacrifice on these battlefields. This land is hallowed ground, and it is now forever protected because of you.
More than 25 years ago, the American Battlefield Trust set out to save the overlapping battlefields of Gaines’ Mill and Cold Harbor in Virginia. By 2020, 655 acres had already been preserved when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity emerged: more than 600 additional acres of pristine battlefield land became available. With deep-pocketed developers closing in, swift action was essential.
Our friend and renowned historian Ed Bearss once said: “Even if you have to sell every other piece of battlefield land the Trust has ever saved in order to preserve this land, you should do it. It’s that important!” Thanks to your support, this land is now a part of the more than 1,200 acres saved at Gaines’ Mill and Cold Ha rbor, 30,000 acres saved throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and 60,000 acres we have saved nationwide.
Now, generations to come will understand these two battles and appreciate history in a way only a battlefield can offer.
★ ★ ★
“If pressed to select the single most desirable [land] on any battlefield... Nowhere else does a single [area] of land offer so much relating to a pair of major battles.” – Historian Gary Gallagher
★ ★ ★
The Battle of Gaines’ Mill
On June 27, 1862, just east of Richmond, Virginia, Union Gen. Fitz John Porter’s V Corps found itself alone and outnumbered. With their backs to the Chickahominy River, Porter’s 34,000 men dug in near a modest structure known as Gaines’ Mill. Facing them was a determined Confederate force of nearly 60,000 under the newly appointed Gen. Robert E. Lee. This clash would become the largest Confederate frontal assault of the Civil War and mark Lee’s first major victory as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Despite being outnumbered, Porter’s troops held firm against repeated assaults throughout the day. But the arrival of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s troops allowed Lee to launch a massive, coordinated twilight attack that ultimately overran the Union position. The cost was staggering: 15,000 casualties in just six hours. The bravery of those men – fighting in marshes, woods, and over open farmland – still echoes across the land today.
The Battle of Cold Harbor
Fast forward to June 1, 1864. Nearly two years after Gaines’ Mill, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered his forces to engage once more on these blood-soaked fields during the Overland Campaign. The Battle of Cold Harbor, taking place just 10 miles northeast of Richmond and overlapping portions of the 1862 battleground, was characterized by entrenched lines, devastating frontal assaults and some of the highest casualty rates of the war.
Grant’s repeated attempts to break the Confederate defenses culminated in a massive but futile attack on June 3. Union forces suffered thousands of casualties in under an hour. It was a sobering moment for Grant and a grim reminder of the cost of war. Still, he did not retreat. Instead, he repositioned his army and crossed the James River, advancing toward Petersburg in what would become the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
As 2025 draws to a close and we enter the holiday season, I reflect on all that this year has meant to the American Battlefield Trust. Together, we began the 250th celebration of the American Revolution, took our digital education offerings to new heights, supported thousands of students on field trips, scored major victories in the courts to keep battlefields free of development, celebrated the milestone of our 60,000th acre saved, and now, the culmination of one of the most ambitious preservation campaigns in the nearly 40-year history of our organization.
None of this would be possible without you. If not for your support, we could not save one acre of hallowed ground. Our work is far from over at Gaines’ Mill, Cold Harbor, and other battlefields across the country, but I could not be more proud or thankful for all we have accomplished together. v
‘Til the battle is won,
David N. Duncan
President
American Battlefield Trust