The Battle of Fort Stedman: Lee's Forlorn Hope, March 25, 1865

The Confederate attack on Fort Stedman, near Petersburg, Virginia, was a desperate gambit that nearly succeeded in the final weeks of the Civil War. Shedding light on a battle that, despite being well known to historians, has received less attention than it deserves, this book examines the reasons for the battle, the Confederate preparations, the Federal defenses, the Confederate attack, the Federal counterattack, and the impact of the engagement in the overall war. Although many felt the attack was a "forlorn hope," both Generals Robert E. Lee and John Gordon had great hopes of success. "The plan was well conceived and the execution of it very well done indeed," wrote Ulysses S. Grant, but confusion, misorientation, and daylight, along with a stubborn Federal defense, doomed it to failure. This work analyzes the Confederate plan in depth, finding it prescient of much modern day military strategy. A breakthrough was to be followed by expansion of the breach and the entry of fast moving mobile units whose mission was to destroy the enemy's logistical base. This detailed history makes the case that the details of this overlooked battle are highly relevant to 21st century military theorists. Read more