MAY 30, 1864:
The
Battle of Crump’s Creek:
As
Union units try to swing around the Confederate flank, they become bogged down
in the wetlands of Crump’s Creek. A vicious firefight breaks out between the
mired Union troops and Confederate sharpshooters who inflict heavy casualties
on the stuck men.
The Battle of Shady
Grove Road:
Union troops moving toward
the town of Hanover Court House engage in battle with Confederate pickets sent
to delay and harass them. After a violent exchange, the pickets are killed or
driven off, but they have successfully delayed the Union advance for the day.
The Battle of Old
Church (The Battle of Matadequin Creek):
By
this point in the greater battle of Topopotomoy Creek, Union units are fighting
everywhere between the North Anna River and the Chickahominy River, facing off
with determined Confederate resistance. The Old Church is just 1.5 miles away
from, and thus within easy reach of the crossroads of Old Cold Harbor, a town
which is just six miles from Richmond. Robert E. Lee knows that if the Union
can take Old Cold Harbor it can essentially walk into Richmond in a day, and so
he orders crack troops to hold the line at Matadequin Creek. Although the
Rebels fight the Union infantry to a standstill, Union cavalry under General
George Armstrong Custer overrun the Confederate positions along the creek,
opening the road to Old Cold Harbor.
The Battle of
Bethesda Church:
Not far from the
Old Church, Union troops force their way south of Matadequin Creek toward
Beulah Church. By the end of the day, Old Cold Harbor is in the grip of two
Union pincers just waiting to close.
