[Bull Snipe]

“7,000 casualties in twenty minutes at Cold Harbor”
That was out of an assault mounted by three corps (about 36-40,000 men.) Lee lost 7,000 casualties assaulting Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg out of an attack force of 1 division and two additional brigades (about 12-13000 men). Grant is called a butcher for the assault at Cold Harbor. What does that make Lee.

[Vermont Lt]

My family lost a leg and a son at Cold Harbor. What a mess.

[DiogenesLamp]

I use different standards for aggressor versus defender. Coming into someone else's land and getting a bunch of your own people killed does indeed make of you a "butcher."

Being forced to die in a desperate effort to save your own land makes of you a hero.

[Lagmeister]

Starting the campaign with around 160 thousand men, Grant had already suffered - in a mere two months - 50 thousand casualties before Cold Harbor. That is butchery unto its own. Shall we also add the fact that after the failed assault on June 3rd at Cold Harbor, Grant refused to ask for a formal truce to collect his wounded for four damn days!!!

Butchery.

Concerning the strategic blunder by Lee at Gettysburg, we see his men pressing the attack to the high water mark... almost breaking the Union line... (again, a singular effort to end the war). In Cold Harbor, we see men driven forth... losing 7000 in twenty minutes... then digging in and having other units push in behind... then they too tried to dig into the open field.

Grant left the engagement lag from 4AM until later that noon. Then, as aforementioned, he left the men in the field to die. Total Union casualties at Cold Harbor almost 13 thousand while the South suffered 5200 (with only 1500 on June 3rd).