The Battle of Fort Stedman Lee’s Forlorn Hope, March 25, 1865
by Edward B. McCaul, Jr.
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SOPO Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:
Edward B. McCaul, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 217
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2026
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9888-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5809-4
Imprint: McFarlandAcknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1—Prelude 7
Chapter 2—Situation 14
Chapter 3—Federal Defensive System 29
Chapter 4—Confederate Plan and Preparation 59
Chapter 5—Confederate Attack 84
Chapter 6—Federal Resistance and Counterattack 100
Chapter 7—Confederate Withdrawal 141
Chapter 8—Impact of the Battle of Fort Stedman 150
Appendix I—Brigadier General Griffin Alexander Stedman, Jr. 155
Appendix II—Medals of Honor Awarded for the Battle of Fort Stedman 159
Appendix III—Confederate Dispositions Before the Battle of Fort Stedman 170
Appendix IV—Mining at Petersburg 175
Appendix V—Controversies 182
Chapter Notes 189
Bibliography 201
Index 207The Confederate attack on Fort Stedman, near Petersburg, Virginia, was a desperate gambit that nearly succeeded in the final weeks of the Civil War. Shedding light on a battle that, despite being well known to historians, has received less attention than it deserves, this book examines the reasons for the battle, the Confederate preparations, the Federal defenses, the Confederate attack, the Federal counterattack, and the impact of the engagement in the overall war.
Although many felt the attack was a “forlorn hope,” both Generals Robert E. Lee and John Gordon had great hopes of success. “The plan was well conceived and the execution of it very well done indeed,” wrote Ulysses S. Grant, but confusion, misorientation, and daylight, along with a stubborn Federal defense, doomed it to failure. This work analyzes the Confederate plan in depth, finding it prescient of much modern day military strategy. A breakthrough was to be followed by expansion of the breach and the entry of fast moving mobile units whose mission was to destroy the enemy’s logistical base. This detailed history makes the case that the details of this overlooked battle are highly relevant to 21st century military theorists.
Paperback Edition
ISBN: 978-1-61121-280-8
Publisher: McFarland and Co.
Release Date: April 2026
Pages: 217 pages
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