Griffin Alexander Stedman Jr. (January 6, 1838 – August 6, 1864) was a Colonel in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and served in several key battles during the war. He was killed in action during the

Battle of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

and brevetted brigadier general.

Early life and education

Stedman was born in Hartford, Connecticut on January 6, 1838 to Griffin Alexander and Mary (Shields) Stedman. He graduated from

Hartford High School Hartford Church of England High School is a voluntary aided Church of England secondary school on Neot Road in Hartford, Cheshire, for students aged between eleven and sixteen. The school has dual specialist college status in both languages an ...

and from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in Hartford, Connecticut in 1859. After graduation, he practiced law in Philadelphia.

Civil War

When the Civil War began he joined the Washington Greys in Philadelphia. He returned to Hartford and joined the First Regiment Colt's Revolving Rifles formed by gunmaker

Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of ...

. The First Regiment reformed and became the 5th Connecticut Infantry Regiment with Stedman commissioned as captain of company I. Stedman and the 5th Regiment were mustered into service on July 22, 1861. On November 27, 1861 he was commissioned major in the

11th Connecticut Infantry Regiment The 11th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 11th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was organized at Hartford, Connecticut, beginning October 24, 1861, and mu ...

. On June 11, 1862 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and returned with the regiment to the Army of the Potomac and fought in the Battle of Antietam. At Antietam, he had command of the right wing of the regiment in the attack on the stone bridge and was wounded in the leg. He became Colonel on September 25, 1862 and was in command during the Battle of Fredericksburg. In January 1864, the regiment re-enlisted and on its return to the front was assigned to the Eighteenth Corps. On May 9, his troops were engaged at the

Battle of Swift Creek The Battle of Swift Creek or Arrowfield Church was fought on May 9, 1864, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. Union forces were only partially successful: they inflicted damage on the local railroad, but furthe ...

and on May 16 at the Battle of Drewery's Bluff where he lost almost 200 men. In late May, he commanded the brigade and fought at

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

. He was mortally wounded by a bullet in his side during the

on August 5, 1864 and died on August 6, 1864. Major General

Edward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883) was an American engineer and United States Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. He commanded an army during the final days of th ...

attempted to have Stedman promoted to brevet brigadier general before his death but instead it was awarded posthumously. He was originally interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London, Connecticut and was re-interred in the family plot in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut on May 20, 1875. The sarcophagus is carved with his ornamental sword, cap and belt, inscribed with the battles he fought in and the words "Brave, just, generous and pure, without fear and reproach".

Legacy

Fort Stedman The Battle of Fort Stedman, also known as the Battle of Hare's Hill, was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final weeks of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pr ...

in Petersburg, Virginia was named in his honor. A bronze statue in his likeness in the Barry Square neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut was designed by Frederick Moynihan and cast at the

Gorham Manufacturing Company The Gorham Manufacturing Company is one of the largest United States of America, American manufacturers of Sterling silver, sterling and silverplate and a foundry for bronze sculpture. History Gorham Silver was founded in Providence, Rhode Isl ...

. The neighborhood was the former location of Camp-Field, which was the location of muster for Hartford troops training for the Civil War. After the war, the 22nd and

25th 25 (twenty-five) is the natural number following 24 and preceding 26. In mathematics It is a square number, being 52 = 5 × 5. It is one of two two-digit numbers whose square and higher powers of the number also ends in the same last t ...

Regiments established the Camp-Field Monument Association with the intent to erect a monument to dedicate the site. The association wanted to depict a typical Connecticut volunteer with a military history associated with the site. The association selected Stedman as the subject of the statue. Stedman Street in Hartford is named after him and the General Griffin A. Stedman Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Trinity was instituted in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stedman, Griffin Alexander 1838 births 1864 deaths Burials at Cedar Grove Cemetery (New London, Connecticut) Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut Pennsylvania lawyers People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Union Army colonels 19th-century American lawyers Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War