Fort Sedgwick (3)

 (1864-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1864 near Petersburg, Petersburg City, Virginia. Named Fort Sedgwick after Union General John Sedgwick, who was killed by a Confederate sharpshooter near Spotsylvania on 9 May 1864. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Also known as Fort Hell.

History of Fort Sedgwick
Established in mid July 1864 as a Union seige line fort at Petersburg, Virginia. Located across and blocking what was then the strategic Jerusalem Plank road, the main north-south road in and out of Petersburg. The Confederate Fort Mahone was located six hundred yards to the northwest and constant fire was exchanged between the two forts and the picket lines. As a part of the Union siege line, Fort Sedgwick was situated between Fort Davis to the south and Fort Rice to the east and connected to them with entrenchments..



Fort Sedgwick was located near enough to provide supporting artillery fire during the failed 30 Jul 1864 assault on the Confederate lines. Union forces had tunneled beneath Confederate lines and placed 8,000 pounds of gunpowder in the tunnel. The gunpowder was detonated at 4:44 am on 30 Jul 1864 and created a huge crater. Union troops surged into the crater hoping to breach the Confederate defenses but the walls of the crater were too steep and the Union troops were trapped in the crater. Confederate troops rallied to the crater's edge and fire down upon the helpless Union troops. Some 3,800 Union casualties resulted in comparison to the fewer than 1,200 casualties of the Confederates. Fort Sedgwick was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.

Current Status
No remains. The ruins of this fort were in place and partly open as a tourist attraction until 1967 when it was overbuilt by a mall and parking lot.

See Also:
 * Fort Davis
 * Fort Rice
 * Fort Mahone
 * Civil War Defenses of Richmond and Petersburg

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Sedgwick (3)
 * Plowshares & Bayonets - A guided tour to Fort Sedgwick
 * The Civil War Trust - The Crater