Civil War 76th PA Zouave Soldier Writes Fighting In Grant's Cold Harbor Battle
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Keystone Zouaves, was a Union Army infantry regiment that served in the Civil War from October 18, 1861, to July 18, 1865. The regiment was organized in Harrisburg, PA, and fought in Virginia and the Carolinas. Was engaged in the battles of Secessionville, Pocotaligo, Cold Harbor the Crater, Chaffin's Farm, Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road, Fort Fisher, Wilmington, Second Battle of Fort Wagner and Charleston Harbor, Deep Bottom, Fort Fisher. FOGLE enlisted on August 26, 1863 as a Private. Fogle was wounded on June 10, 1864. Fogle spent considerable time at Hilton Head, SC. 4 pp, 5 x 8, June 2, 1864, Fogle writes to his wife, in pencil. Fogle writes of his regiment's participation in the Battle of Cold Harbor, which occurred between May 31 and June 12, 1864. The soldiers left the landing the last day of the month. We marched on through and got here about four o'clock yesterday and we was about tired out but that wasn't enough.
We had to make a charge and we went into it and chased them out of their rifle pits and took about fifteen hundred rebel prisoners. We are now where the fighting is going on all the time. We join Grant's army on the left and are making for Richmond.
We are now about 12 miles from Richmond. Grant's headquarters is only 2 miles from here. He was along the line here today... The place where we made the charge was coal bottom. Today is the 3rd and I will write a little more.We are supporting a battery today. There is fighting all around and the bullets is flying all around.
I suppose we will not get our pay til this campaign is over and no telling when that will be.. The rebs made two charges last night and they [were] whipped both times. Our men made a charge yesterday and took six pieces of artillery from the rebs... The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought near Mechanicsville, VA, from May 31 to June 12, 1864. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Grant's Overland Campaign, and is remembered as one of American history's most lopsided battles. Thousands of Union soldiers were killed or wounded in the frontal assault on June 3 against the fortified positions of Confederate Gen.At dawn on June 3, three Union corps launched an assault on the Confederate defenses at the southern end of the line. The attack was easily repelled, resulting in significant casualties for the Union forces. Attempts to assault the northern end of the line and to resume the assaults on the southern were unsuccessful.
The armies confronted each other on these line until the night of June 12, when the Army of the Potomac finally disengaged. Fogle's spelling is a bit challenging. Spelling corrected and punctuation added for clarity. Our goal is to please every customer.