Some historians call the 1864 battle known as Cold Harbor Robert E. Lee’s last victory. Others call it the end of Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland campaign, and others simply say it was senseless. But one thing is clear: It ushered in the futility and carnage of total warfare.

Most of New Jersey’s regiments had been involved in almost constant fighting since early May, at the Wilderness, then at Spotsylvania Courthouse.