March 25th, 1865 - The Battle of Fort Steadman

Conflict: American Civil War

Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals

Location: Virginia (USA)

Outcome: Federal victory

In the closing weeks of the war, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched a desperate attempt to turn the Union right wing near Petersburg and link up with Confederate forces in North Carolina. The Confederates managed to take the fort, but were soon driven off again. Lee's army lost 4,000 men; the Union army lost half as many.

Federal picket line in front of Fort Steadman by an unknown photographer

General Lee's Farewell to his Soldiers by an unknown artist

Points of Interest:

• The fight at Fort Steadman left the Army of Northern Virginia weaker than ever. Lee would surrender at Appomattox about two weeks later.

• Lee was pardoned after the war and served as president of Washington College in Lexington, VA. His citizenship was not restored until 1975.

Robert E. Lee by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.