The Deadly Work of Sharpshooters
Cold Harbor Battlefield Park Walking Trail
Adding to the misery of the Union and Confederate soldiers at Cold Harbor was the fear of enemy sharpshooters. Quite often armed with special rifles these marksmen would prey on any unfortunate soldier who appeared in their sights. A Confederate officer described their tactics at Cold Harbor: “If one caught a glimpse of an enemy anywhere, he would sight carefully at that spot…if someone appeared, he had only to press his trigger.”
A soldier from the 15th New Jersey Infantry was killed in this vicinity when he reported to his colonel that he had completed digging a grave for one of his comrades. “Instantly a musket ball struck him in the face and he fell dying at our feet. He was laid in the grave he had dug. We widened it for two.”
While it was impossible to be certain how the pit before you was used, it is typical of the defensive positions that sharpshooter would employ in their deadly work. Others chose to climb tall trees to be able to spot enemy movements behind the main lines.
Marker can be reached from Cold Harbor Road (State Highway 156) 0.2 miles east of Boatswain Lane, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
