Fort Stedman, VA
Date(s):
March 25, 1865
Campaign(s):
Richmond-Petersburg Campaign continued [June 1864-March 1865]
Battles in
Campaign:
Situation:
Commanders:
-
Union:
Maj. Gen. John G. Parke
-
Confederate:
Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon
Principal Forces:
-
Union:
Corps
-
Confederate:
Corps
Description:
-
In a last-gasp offensive, Gen. Robert E. Lee amassed nearly
half of his army in an attempt to break through Grant’s Petersburg defenses
and threaten his supply depot at City Point.
-
Directed by Maj. Gen.
John B. Gordon, the pre-dawn assault on March 25 overpowered the garrisons
of Fort Stedman and Batteries X, XI, and XII.
-
The Confederates were brought
under a killing crossfire, and counterattacks led by Maj. Gens. Parke and
Hartranft contained the breakthrough, cut off, and captured more than 1,900 of
the attackers.
-
During the day, elements of the II and VI Corps assaulted and captured the
entrenched picket lines in their respective fronts, which had been weakened for
the assault on Fort Stedman.
-
This was a devastating blow for Lee’s army, setting up the Confederate defeat at
Five Forks on April 1 and the fall of Petersburg on April 2-3.
Photo Gallery1:
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Fort Stedman and Adjacent Works Captured
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Description of Fort Stedman Garrison
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A Final Effort - Union Counterattack on Fort Stedman
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Defending Fort Haskell - Union Survivors of Fort Stedman Sought Refuge at Haskell
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Slide Presentation:
Classification2:
A
Casualties3:
-
Union:
950
-
Confederate:
2,900
Results:
Union
Victory
Battlefield Website:
Resources:
1 Please click on the image to
enlarge it. You may copy the images if you include the following note and link
with each image: "Courtesy of
civil-war-journeys.org."
2
Classification:
-
A
- having a decisive influence on a
campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war
-
B -
having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign
-
C -
having observable influence on the
outcome of a campaign
-
D
-
having a limited influence on the
outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important
local objectives
3
Casualties are
someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.
Revised
06/05/2008 |
