A Captured Trench trailside marker

Cold Harbor • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • The Armies

The “A Captured Trench” wayside marker is the fifth on the Cold Harbor primary walking trail. It is mounted on the side of a footbridge that carries the trail over some earthworks to prevent erosion. The earthworks were originally a Confederate position that was captured and built up on the other side to be used by Federal troops.

"A Captured Trench" trailside marker on the Cold Harbor battlefield outside Richmond, Virginia

Text from the marker:

A Captured Trench

 On the morning of June 1, 1864, Confederate soldiers of Thomas Clingman’s North Carolina brigade frantically dug this trench. They anticipated a Union assault later in the day. Around 6:00 p.m. Federal troops of the VI Corps moved into position near Old Cold Harbor, a half-mile to the east, and with two hours of daylight remaining, received orders to attack. This would be part of the first Union assault at Cold Harbor.

Emory Upton’s brigade of 2600 Union infantry attacked here. An intense, bloody battle ensued. Eventually Upton’s men reached this earthwork and clung to it, despite repeated attempts that evening to retake it.

“At the first ray of dawn it [the work] was strengthened and occupied by skirmishers; and during our stay at Cold Harbor, which lasted until midnight of June 12th, it remained our front line….”

Theodore Vaill, Upton’s Brigade

This is a rare surviving example of a “turned” entrenchment, used by each army and consequently facing in two different directions.

Footbridge built across earthworks to protect them against the erosion of the heavy foot traffic on the Cold Harbor battlefield.

The footbridge was built across the earthworks to protect them against the erosion of the heavy foot traffic on the walking trail. The “A Captured Trench” trailside marker is on the far left side of the bridge above the handrails.

Earthworks on the Cold harbor battlefield. The defensive works were originally dug by the Confederates and faced east (to the left). They were then captured by a Union attack, and built up on their west side (to the right) to defend against Confederate fire.

The view is off the south side of the footbridge that carries the walking trail over the earthworks. The defensive works were originally dug by the Confederates and faced east (to the left). They were then captured by a Union attack on the evening of June 1, and built up on their west side (to the right) to defend against Confederate fire.

Location of the marker

This is the fifth marker on the Cold Harbor primary walking trail. It is just a short distance past the “Keep Digging” marker.