The Battle of Fort Stedman: March 25, 1865
Name: The Battle of Fort Stedman
Other Names: None
Location: Petersburg
Campaign: Richmond-Petersburg Campaign (June 1864-March 1865)
Date: March 25, 1865
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John G. Parke [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps
Estimated Casualties: 3,850 total (US 950; CS 2,900)
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.
Result: Union victory
Full Summary: Coming soon
Bibliography:
First Person Accounts:
Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Battle:
- 865ch: Union Forces Engagement at Fort Stedman 25 March 1865
- April 15, 1865 Columbus Sun: In the Trenches Near Petersburg
- Charge! Issue 24, Page 2: The Battle of Fort Stedman by Doug Rogers
- MHSM Papers: The Siege of Petersburg after the Capture of the Weldon Railroad by Brevet Brigadier-General Francis A. Walker
- MOLLUS ME: With the Seventh Maine Battery by Brevet Major William B. Lapham
- Review In Brief: Mother, May You Never See The Sights I Have Seen
- SHS Papers: Volume 31: GORDON’S ASSAULT ON FORT STEDMAN, March 25th, 1865 – A brilliant Achievement
- The Battle of Fort Stedman Doug Rogers Charge! Map, March 25, 1865
- The Battle of Fort Stedman NPS Map: Aftermath
- The Battle of Fort Stedman NPS Map: March 25, 1865 4 AM
- The Battle of Fort Stedman NPS Map: March 25, 1865 6 AM
- The Battle of Fort Stedman NPS Map: March 25, 1865 8 AM
- The Battle of Fort Stedman NPS Map: Prelude
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