Bellefonte Area High School

On May 31st the 138th found itself in a battle line, under General Ricketts, heading towards Cold Harbor after avoiding many of the battle of Spotsylvania.  Around 10:30Am the next day Cold Harbor was reached. At an appointed hour the regiment formed up to assault the main Confederate battle line across a swamp and a heavily wooded area. One member of the unit described the fray. "The shot and shell came upon us like a hailstorm. The whiz-zoo-oo of the bullets, the rattle of the grape and the roar of shells—tearing up the earth and wrenching large limbs from trees, hurling them in all directions—added to the awful grandeur of the scene, and was well calculated to test the courage of the stoutest heart."  Eventually the Confederate positions were overrun and many prisoners taken. The assault was deemed a success and revenge for the retreat at the Wilderness. The 138th's actions were so great that General Meade praised the unit and its commander.