The Battle of Fort Stedman was the last major Confederate offensive attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg, marking the beginning of the end of the Civil War.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 25, 1865
- Also known as
- Battle of Hare's Hill
- Confederate commander
- Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon
- Union corps engaged
- IX Corps
- Union commander
- Maj. Gen. John G. Parke
- Phase of war
- Final weeks of the American Civil War
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By early 1865, Confederate forces under Gen. Robert E. Lee were under severe pressure from the prolonged Siege of Petersburg. Seeking to break through Union lines, Lee authorized Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon to plan a bold pre-dawn assault on Fort Stedman, a Union fortification in the siege lines, hoping to force a Union withdrawal or create an opening for Confederate retreat.
In the pre-dawn hours of March 25, 1865, Gordon's Confederate troops launched a surprise assault on Fort Stedman, achieving an initial breakthrough and temporarily capturing the fort and portions of the surrounding Union works. However, Union forces of the IX Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, quickly mounted a counterattack and drove the Confederates back to their own lines.
The failed assault left Confederate forces weaker and with fewer options. The Union capitalized swiftly, and within days launched the Appomattox Campaign. The defeat effectively sealed the fate of the Confederate defense of Petersburg and Richmond, leading to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, and the conclusion of the Civil War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Maj. Gen. John G. Parke.
Side B
1 belligerent
Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon.