(7-2005) Petersburg National Battlefield Tour Stop-5: Fort Stedman
   
This is a photo taken on July 7, 2005 of Fort Stedman. The fort is tour stoop #5 on the National Park Service Petersburg Virginia Battlefield car tour brochure. The fort was a Union stronghold. CSA General Robert E. Lee ordered Gen John B. Gordon's troops to attack on March 25, 1865. The Confederates took the fort at about 4:30am and pushed forward but were met by an overwhelming force of Union troops (IX Corps). The Confederates were repulsed back to the fort and tried in vain to hold it

This photo was taken from a rise of ground just behind Fort Stedman. The trail leading into the fort can be seen and just left of center can be seen the Pennsylvania Monument to the IX Corps

(7-2005) Enlarge Petersburg National Battlefield Tour Stop-5: Fort Stedman
 
A FINAL EFFORT
 
This National Park Service interpretive marker is located near Fort Stedman. It shows an artist's version of the Federal successful counter-attack on the Confederate force at Fort Stedman, March 25, 1865

Today the area around Fort Stedman has many trees, but the trees inside the fort are gone, so the foliage depicted in the marker helps a visitor to visualize the foliage at the time of the fighting which is the opposite

(7-2005) Petersburg National Battlefield Tour Stop-5: Fort Stedman
 
Interior of Fort Stedman
 
This photo was taken on July 7, 2005 near the National Park Service (NPS) trail entrance to Fort Stedman. This is the NPS Stop # 5 on the Petersburg Battlefield Auto Tour. Fort Stedman was a Union stronghold named for Col. Griffin Alexander Stedman. Confederates under command of John B. Gordon captured the fort at about 4:30am on March 25, 1865. The Southern troops pushed forward from the fort in an attempt to cut Union supply lines but were repulsed and the fort was re-taken by Union IX Corps troops
 
During the Petersburg siege and the aforementioned fighting, it was surprising to learn there were trees inside the fort. No trees are inside the fort now, but there is a forest outside the fort which did not exist during the War Between The States. In the tree line there is a Bald Eagle's nest so travel on the foot trail beyond the fort area along the initial Confederate approach was prohibited

(7-2005) Enlarge Petersburg National Battlefield Tour Stop-5: Fort Stedman
 
Wartime View of Fort Stedman
 
This is a NPS interpretive marker located inside Union Fort Stedman. The marker is almost in the same site as where the photographer must have taken the photo so it is possible to view the current earthworks and easily imagine what the site was like
 
If you look at the photo entitled "Interior of Fort Stedman", you can see this marker near the center of the photo and try to imagine the wartime appearance, too
  
Note : photographer's position will be from a different angle than the aforementioned photo that was taken July 7, 2005 of the interior and posted on this website