March 25, 1865 Saturday
Southerners who said they were deserters showed up about 3AM at the Union lines near Fort Stedman on the east side of the Petersburg, Virginia siege fortifications. In fact, they were advance men aiming at sabotage when, an hour later, Maj Gen John B. Gordon (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_Gordon ) launched his massive attack at Fort Stedman and surrounding entrenchments (
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fortstedman.html and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Stedman ). The Confederates quickly overwhelmed the opposition and rushed into the fort, completely surprising the Federal garrison. Several batteries and other trenches were taken until about three fourths of a mile of Union position was in Southern hands. Small columns pressed on toward City Point and the Federal supply railroad, one of the first specially built military railroads in history. But, like so many Confederate attacks late in the war, it lost momentum and there was not the strength to exploit and maintain the momentary advantage. Union troops rallied, changed position, and forced the attackers back to Fort Stedman. About seven-thirty a Federal division assaulted the fort and Gordon withdrew, although not all the Confederates could get back to their own lines. By seven forty-five the Federal line was restored and the entire attack defeated. It had never been more than a forlorn hope, and now little remained except disheartening withdrawal from Petersburg and Richmond. Gen Lee rode back from the field, careworn and dejected. Against less than 1500 Federal casualties, Lee lost some 4000, many of them prisoners.
After a trying march due to drenching rains, the Federal troops neared Spanish Fort and the fortifications of Mobile, Alabama on the east side of the bay. By Mar 27 the investment would be complete. Confederate Brig Gen R.L. Gibson tried to organize his 2800 men to oppose Canby’s 32,000. Despite strong earthworks around the city it was manifestly impossible for the South to hold out long without help.
Otherwise there was the usual roll of skirmishes – on the Deer Park Road, Alabama; at Cotton Creek, Mitchell’s or Canoe Creek, and Escambia River, Florida; Brawley Forks, Tennessee; Glasgow, Kentucky; Watkins House and Fort Fisher, Virginia. Two Federal expeditions operated from Brashear City, one to Indian Bend, Louisiana and the other to Oyster Bayou, Louisiana.
President Lincoln visited Gen Grant at City Point, Virginia. Lincoln then took the military railroad to the Petersburg lines, where he rode horseback over part of the Fort Stedman battlefield.