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.
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.