Fort Stedman at Petersburg National Battlefield

EASTERN FRONT DRIVING TOUR

STOP 5:  Fort Stedman

Allow up to 45 minutes for a visit

The fifth stop on the Eastern Front Driving Tour at Petersburg National Battlefield is at Fort Stedman, a fort built by the Union army after occupying the area east of Petersburg following the opening attack on the city on June 15, 1864. When the attack failed, Union general Ulysses S. Grant knew that continuing a frontal assault against heavily defended Confederate fortifications was just going to end in a blood bath, so he instead decided to cut off Petersburg’s supply lines from the south and west. To do so, the Union army gradually worked its way west, south of the city, capturing major roads and railroads along the way.

Union and Confederate line at Petersburg in March 1865

By March of 1865, the Confederate and Union lines stretched for nearly 20 miles from the east side of Petersburg to the Five Forks intersection southwest of the city. The Confederates, who had half the men as the Union, were stretched thin along their defensive line, and the farther west they had to go, the worse the situation became. To stop the western expansion and perhaps cut the rail line between Grant’s army and his supply depot at City Point, Confederate general Robert E. Lee decided to launch an attack on the Union right flank at Fort Stedman, reasoning that with most of the Union forces in the west, this section of their line would be the weakest. Success would force Grant to shift much of his army back to the east, bringing westward expansion to a halt.

Fort Stedman, Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Ten thousand Confederate infantrymen attacked Fort Stedman at 4:15 AM on March 25, 1865. The attack was headed by General John B. Gordan, and for a time the Confederates captured Fort Stedman and Batteries 10, 11, and 12. This created a 1,000-foot gap in the Union line. Gordan then launched an artillery attack on the Union positions at Fort Haskell to the south. Union artillery returned fire, and reinforcements were mobilized to the area for a counterattack. By 8 AM, the early Confederate success had been reversed. Many of the Confederate soldiers were trapped inside Fort Stedman and were taken prisoner. This was the last time Lee launched a major attack at Petersburg.

Confederate plan for the attack on Fort Stedman

After losing a battle on April 1st at Five Forks and sustaining another all-out attack on the entire Confederate line around Petersburg on the 2nd, Lee and his army abandoned the city later that night by crossing the Appomattox River. Joined by his soldiers and Confederate government officials stationed in Richmond, he then headed west towards Appomattox, Virginia, in an attempt to get around the Union left flank so that he could take his army south into North Carolina where he hoped to find General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Tennessee. Grant took control of both abandoned cities on April 3rd.

There is quite a lot to see at the Fort Stedman stop on the Eastern Front Driving Tour. There is a network of paved paths, and making sense of them takes some doing because there is no map of the area and no directional signage. To see the fort, take the path that begins at the center of the parking lot. A commemorative monument honoring the Union soldiers who took back Fort Stedman is not far from the parking lot.

Trail leads into Fort Stedman at the Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Monument honoring the Union soldiers who took back Fort Stedman, Petersburg National Battlefield

The trail loops around the inside of the fort where a wayside exhibit and four cannon are on display. The guns point towards the Confederate lines to the west, which were only 300 yards away.

Cannon exhibit inside Fort Stedman at the Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

There is also a 1-mile paved loop trail call the Fort Stedman-Colquitt’s Salient Trail that leads to Confederate Battery 10 (under Union control), Colquitt’s Salient, and Gracie’s Salient, fortifications a quarter mile west of Fort Stedman. It is from these salients that the Confederate attack began. The trail, which is for pedestrians only, is Figure-8 shaped and has numbered sign posts along the route that correspond to a trail brochure that is no longer available (as far as I know). The terrain is hilly, so if you are in a wheelchair, you might need somebody to help push you unless you are in very good shape. (Note: a salient is a fortification or defensive formation in the shape of a point, making it hard to defend since it can be attacked from two sides.)

The loop begins at the parking lot. You can head straight on the trail that passes Fort Stedman on the right or right on the path that heads towards the forest. Being a loop it makes no difference which way you go, but I started by heading straight, and this review is written from that perspective.

Trail to Battery 10 and Colquitt’s Salient, Petersburg National Battlefield

The first point of interest is Battery 10, which is just a tenth of a mile from the parking lot. This is one of the Confederate batteries captured by Union troops on the first day of fighting, June 15, 1864, and it was the first fortification captured by the Confederates when they attacked Fort Stedman. The gravel trail that intersects the paved path just prior to the battery is not part of the hike, so just ignore it and keep straight.

Approaching Battery 10 on the Colquitt’s Salient Trail at Fort Stedman, Petersburg National Battlefield

Battery 10 near Fort Stedman, Petersburg National Battlefield

Just up ahead from the battery is a wayside exhibit and audio program about the Union 1st Maine Heavy Artillery’s charge on Colquitt’s Salient on June 18, 1864, the third day of the original Battle of Petersburg. The audio program relates an except from the writings of a 1st Maine solider. Of the 900 men who made the charge, 632 were killed or wounded. This was the most casualties of any regiment in a single day of fighting during the entire Civil War. The Confederates positioned behind the earthen fortifications of Colquitt’s Salient lost just 25 men. The Confederates held and occupied the salient for the duration of the siege, and as mentioned earlier, launched their attack on Fort Stedman from here.

Wayside exhibit and audio program about the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery’s attack on Colquitt’s Salient, Petersburg National Battlefield

Just past the audio program is a split in the trail. This is the start of the upper Figure 8 section of the loop trail, and the best way to go is to the left on the gravel path. This leads to Gracie’s and Colquitt’s salients and then loops back on the paved part of the trail in front of you. If you are in a wheelchair and prefer to stick to the pavement, you can keep straight to see Colquitt’s salient and then backtrack to this point (Gracie’s Salient is on the dirt portion of the trail). There is no real need to see both salients, for as the saying goes, “If you’ve seen one salient, you’ve seen ’em all.”

Loop to Colquitt’s Salient on the Fort Stedman-Colquitt’s Salient Trail at Petersburg National Battlefield

Remnants of the earthen walls of both salients remain, and stone markers gives details about the events that occurred here. Once you get around to the other side of the loop, there is also a cannon exhibit.

Gracie’s Salient near Fort Stedman, Petersburg National Battlefield

Remnants of Colquitt’s Salient, Petersburg National Battlefield

Cannon on display at Colquitt’s Salient, Petersburg National Battlefield

When you get back around to just before the upper Figure 8 started, there is a wayside exhibit about Lee’s Last Offensive. This marks the start of the lower Figure 8 section of the trail. The gravel path you took to the salients is just a stone’s throw ahead, and you can see the 1st Maine audio wayside exhibit from here. Take a left at the Lee’s Last Offensive wayside to continue the walk around the Fort Stedman area.

Lower loop of the Fort Stedman-Colquitt’s Salient Trail at Petersburg National Battlefield

This part of the trail leads to a monument honoring the Union 1st Maine Heavy Artillery. The pavement ends at the monument, so again, if you are in a wheelchair and want to stick to the pavement, turn around once you see the monument. Otherwise, continue ahead on the dirt trail.

1st Maine Heavy Artillery Monument at Fort Stedman in Petersburg National Military Park

The Fort Stedman-Colquitt’s Salient Trail becomes paved once again near the parking lot and passes one last wayside exhibit with an audio program about the Confederate attack on Fort Stedman. The parking lot is just up ahead.

Final leg of the Fort Stedman-Colquitt’s Salient Trail at Petersburg National Battlefield

Stop 6: Fort Haskell | Stop 4: Harrison Creek | Eastern Front Tour Home Page

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