Fort Stedman

With up to six cannons and 300 infantrymen as its garrison, Fort Stedman was typical of the more than 30 forts along the Union siege lines, though its main distinguishing characteristic was that the Confederate line lay only 300 yards away. Union engineers left Stedman’s trees standing, an uncommon luxury for the troops stationed there. Dirt and logs gave shelter against Confederate shells and bullets, but life in the fortifications was marked by endurance without relief, sleeplessness without exhilaration, inactivity without rest, and constant apprehension requiring ceaseless watching.

Petersburg, Virginia · United States