Battle of Fort Stedman

Prelude

In March 1865, Gen. Lee (CSA) could only watch as Union armies defeated Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley and in the Carolinas. Added to this was President Jefferson Davis' (CSA) commitment to continued prosecution of the war and Gen. Grant's (USA) continued buildup of Union troops at Petersburg.

Lee had Gen. Gordon (CSA) formulate a plan that, at the very least, would enable the Army of Northern Virginia to pull out of Petersburg unmolested and perhaps give it a chance to link up with the Confederate army in North Carolina. The idea was a surprise attack that would force Grant to shorten his lines or even set his lines back, allowing for a clean pullout for Lee.

Gordon developed a pre-dawn surprise attack on a Union fort, Fort Stedman. It was one of the closest spots on the line, there were fewer wooden obstructions, and a supply depot on the U.S. Military Railroad was less than a mile behind it. Lee approved the plan.

March 25, 1865
4:00 am
On a signal, lead parties headed out to overwhelm Union pickets and to remove wooden defenses. This was the initial wave of a force that represented nearly half of Lee's army. It was a complete surprise as they captured Fort Stedman and the batteries just to the north and south of it with little resistance. As the Confederates rounded up nearly a 1,000 prisoners, the lead attackers reached Harrison's Creek along the Prince George Court House Road.

6:00 am - 7:00 am

Due to the various whereabouts of the senior commanders, the Union response fell upon Gen. Hartranft (USA), a divisional commander in the IX Corps.

Between some confusion among the attacking Confederates, Union artillery support from up and down the line, and the response by Hartranft's infantry the attack is stopped.

Gordon, who was in Fort Stedman, realized the plan had failed when his lead men started returning unable to find the depot and reporting Union resistance. Lee soon gave permission to Gordon to pull his men back.

8:00 am
By 7:30am the Union forces had sealed the breach and the Union artillery was heavily bombarding Fort Stedman. A coordinated attack started shortly before 8:00am, Hartranft advanced on the fort, re-claimed it, and made the ground between the lines a true "no man's" land for those Confederates retreating to their trenches.

Aftermath

This gamble turned out to be a four hour action with no impact on the Union lines. In fact the Union counter attack further down the line near Fort Fisher, produced greater results. The ground won there allowed the Union to launch one of their break through attacks on April 2, 1865.

The Battle of Fort Stedman was a devastating blow for Lee's army.

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