Name/Title
Cold Harbor skullDescription
This was a Union soldier who was killed at the Civil War Battle of Cold Harbor in Virginia by a minie ball that is still lodged behind the right orbit,
The daguerreotype is one of the most famous images of the Civil War. John Reekie took it about a year after the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia (June 1864) when the dead, who had been hastily buried after the battle were dug up to be sent home to a proper resting place.
The color print was by Kurz and Allison of Chicago (1888) and showed Grant “triumphantly” advancing on Lee at Cold Harbor, Virginia. The Battle of Cold Harbor was a devastating defeat for Grant and the North with about 7,000 soldiers slaughtered in the first 20 minutes of an ill-fated charge of Southern embankments. Grant later said that this battle plan was his biggest mistake of the Civil War.Dimensions
Height
9 inWidth
6 inDepth
6 inCondition
Overall Condition
FairDate Examined
Jul 10, 2026Create Date
July 10, 2026Update Date
August 26, 2026
