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U. S. CIVIL WAR
PHOTOGRAPHS
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PETERSBURG
(PAGE 3 OF 5)
FORT STEDMAN
Fort Stedman - May, 1865.18
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Fort Stedman - March, 1998.
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The two photographs, taken at approximately the same place, show the effects of
aging on the earthern works.
March 25, 1865
Estimated Casualties: 3,850 total (US 950; CS 2,900)
In a last-gasp offensive, Gen. Robert E. Lee amassed nearly half of his army in
an attempt to break through Grant's Petersburg defenses and threaten his supply
depot at City Point. Directed by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon, the pre-dawn assault
on March 25 overpowered the garrisons of Fort Stedman
and Batteries X, XI, and XII.
The Confederates were brought under a killing crossfire, and counterattacks led
by Maj. Gens. Parke and Hartranft contained the breakthrough, cut off, and
captured more than 1,900 of the attackers. During the day, elements of the II
and VI Corps assaulted and captured the entrenched picket lines in their
respective fronts, which had been weakened for the assault on Fort Stedman.
This was a devastating blow for Lee's army, setting up the
Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1 and the fall of Petersburg on April
2-3.
(Text Source: U.S. Gov't, National Park Service )
FORT HASKELL
Fort Haskell - 1999
(Looking North towards Fort Stedman)
March 25, 1865
Union artillery and very heavy
infantry fire stopped the Confederate southward advance at Fort Haskell
during the Battle of Fort Stedman. Federals, who had been driven down the
line of works were jammed so tightly into this fort that most could only load
weapons and pass them forward to be fired. (Text Source: U.S. Gov't,
National Park Service)
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THE DICTATOR
The Dictator - 1865.28
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The Dictator - 1998.
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The Dictator, a 13 inch, 9 ton, siege gun used against Petersburg. Whether the
one in the photo on the right is the original is subject to debate.
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PAGE FOUR
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Civil War Photos
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Petersburg
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5
Notes
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