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Petersburg National BattlefieldPeriod drawing of artillery being fired at siege of Petersbrug
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Petersburg National Battlefield
Fort Stedman: The Collapse
 

March 25, 1865
8:00 am

Fort Stedman - March 25, 1865 - 8 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

March 26, 1865

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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A very young man in a deep sky blue New Hampshire Regiment uniform coat leads several soldiers in a drill.  

Did You Know?
At the time of the American Revolution, boys as young as their teens could be officers in the Army. There were boys as young as 14 and 15 who held the rank of lieutenant --and commanded men 2-3 times their age.

Last Updated: October 07, 2007 at 14:25 EST