What is an example of a historic military folly?

The United States can certainly be accused of several
examples of military folly during its history. The belief that the Vietnam War could be
won is a prime example; the possible military intervention in Libya and Iran would
certainly be two others. However, I will focus on two Civil War battles that should have
been avoided: The Battles of Fredericksburg and Cold
Harbor.

At Fredericksburg, the Union army was led by the
indecisive General Ambrose Burnside. Burnside (who is best know for his long facial
whiskers that later became known as "sideburns") made the unwise decision of attacking
the Confederates' heavily fortified position on the hills outside Fredericksburg,
Virginia in December 1862. Confederate commander Robert E. Lee was surprised to see
Burnside strike his Army of Northern Virginia, well-prepared and waiting in their
strongest defensive positions of the war. Burnsided repeatedly attacked the
Confederates, many of whom were hidden behind a stone wall in front of a sunken road,
four ranks deep--a perfect area to defend. Burnside's men made at least 14 individual
charges on Marye's Heights, and each attack was repulsed easily by Gen. James
Longstreet's corps. Union losses were more than 12,000 men--more than double the
Confederate casualties. Burnside was removed from command of the Army of the Potomac
shortly afterward.

Another unwarranted attack came at the
Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia in June 1863. After several unsuccessful attacks on the
previous days, Generals U. S. Grant and George Meade decided to mass for one last
frontal assault on June 3. The Confederates were in a position that was later called
the

"most
ingenious defensive configuration the war had yet witnessed." Barricades were erected of
earth and logs. Artillery was posted with converging fields of fire on every avenue of
approach, and stakes were driven into the ground to improve the accuracy of gunners'
range estimates. A newspaper correspondent wrote that the works were, "Intricate,
zig-zagged lines within lines, lines protecting flanks of lines, lines built to enfilade
an opposing line, ... [It was] a maze and labyrinth of works within
works."

Grant later admitted
in his memoirs that the attack was a mistake, and the men advancing into the Confederate
fire had seen the day before that their task was impossible. Many Union soldiers pinned
their name and address inside their coats so their bodies could be identified and sent
home afterward. The attack by three Union corps lasted less than two hours. Though
outnumbered by 2-to-1, the Confederates inflicted nearly 7,000 casualties while losing
only 1,500 men themselves.