News Release

National Park Service Commemorates Battle of Cold Harbor

Date: May 17, 2019
Contact: Andrea DeKoter, 804-226-5023

National Park Service Commemorates 
Battle of Cold Harbor

Richmond National Battlefield Park’s annual event features Ranger-led candlelight tours, living history programs

 
RICHMOND, Va.— On Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, Richmond National Battlefield Park invites the public to explore the history of Cold Harbor, site of the 1864 battle that became renowned as one of the Civil War’s bloodiest engagements. This year’s event features living history demonstrations, children’s activities, and a Saturday evening candlelight tour of the battlefield.    All events begin at the Cold Harbor Battlefield Visitor Center, 5515 Anderson Wright Drive, Mechanicsville, VA, 23111, and are free of charge.
 
Starting at 6 pm on Saturday visitors can pick up tickets for the evening candlelight tours, which begin at 8 pm. Visitors can enjoy the Civil War-era harmonies of the band Southern Horizon from 8-9:30 pm. Tickets for the tours are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors are advised to wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes for walking and to bring flashlights.
 
From 6-9 pm on Saturday kids can visit the mobile education trailer, a special interactive exhibit designed in conjunction with Petersburg National Battlefield. There they can explore hands-on displays about America’s Civil War and Civil Rights history. Kids who visit the trailer will have the opportunity to complete a Junior Ranger booklet and earn a patch unique to this event.
 
Park Rangers will offer guided, one-hour tours of the Cold Harbor battlefield on Saturday at 10 am and 2 pm, and on Sunday at 10 am, 2 pm, and 3 pm. The tours will cover a variety of topics, including the fighting on June 3, 1864, and how this battle became General Ulysses S. Grant’s greatest regret. Cannon and rifle demonstrations will take place Saturday at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm and Sunday at 11 am and 1 pm. New to the event this year is the addition of a fife and drum program, which will take place at Noon and 4 pm Saturday and Sunday.
 
“The events that took place at Cold Harbor shaped the course of Virginia’s and our nation’s history,” said Richmond National Battlefield Park Superintendent Doyle Sapp. “I invite everyone to join us in commemorating the sacrifices that were made here.”
 
For a full and detailed list of the weekend’s events, visit us online at www.nps.gov/rich. In the event that overflow parking is needed or there is inclement weather, updates will be posted atwww.Facebook.com/RichmondNPS.
 
About Richmond National Battlefield Park
Cold Harbor is one of the Civil War sites protected by Richmond National Battlefield Park in Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield counties. Experiencing the park’s battlefield sites and visitor centers usually takes a full day. A driving tour of the battlefields is available at any of the park’s sites. The main park visitor center is located at Historic Tredegar (470 Tredegar Street in Richmond) and provides museum exhibits, audio-visual programs and orientation services to help plan a visit to the battlefields.