Fredericksburg

Following General McClellan’s reluctance to pursue and destroy General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia following the battle at Antietam, President Lincoln assigned the task of commanding the Army of the Potomac to General Ambrose Burnside. Burnside, at first, resisted this promotion based on his lack of confidence in his abilities, but eventually accepted.

The armies, at this time, were going into winter quarters; a period of the year where little to nothing was done due to weather and road conditions, making it nearly impossible to move large armies. The roads were always soggy and muddy and the wagons would constantly get bogged down.

Because of undue pressure from the press and Washington politicians, General Burnside elected to move his army to Falmouth, just across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Virginia and attack the city and move to attack the Confederate Army.

In order to cross the Rappahannock, Burnside had requested, from Washington, pontoon bridges. He had hoped to get across the river before General Lee could move his Confederate army to the area to resist and fight. But because of typical political red tape, the pontoons took longer than expected or was necessary. This delay allowed Lee to move his troops to Fredericksburg to confront the Union Army. 

Lee was able to secure the higher ground overlooking the city. With General Longstreet’s and General Stonewall Jackson’s corps, the Confederate Army controlled a front that stretched seven miles. Never the less, Burnside elected to be the aggressor and attack.

On December 11, 1862, Union troops shelled the town from Stafford Heights and then crossed the river on the pontoon bridges to challenge Lee’s Rebels which were holding the higher ground at Marye’s Heights, directly behind the city. On the 13^th, the Union launched a two-prong attack. On the south end of the line, at Prospect Hill, they were able to break through Stonewall Jackson’s line for a brief but bloody moment. To the north, behind town, wave upon wave of Union infantry attempted to traverse an open field of 300 to 400 yards as they charged the Confederate line. In all, about 30,000 Union soldiers attempted to cross this field. The Rebels were well entrenched behind a stone wall which protected them as they stood in the Sunken Road. The Union soldiers had no protection and, as they ran the open field, were easy targets for both the Rebel infantry and their artillery placed on the higher elevation. No union soldier reached the stone wall.  Behind the Sunken Road was the elevation known as Marye’s Heights. The Union Army did not stand a chance. It was like a slaughter pen. The open field was littered with dying and dead in blue uniforms.

It was a decisive win for the army of General Lee and a painful blow to the Union war effort. This lop-sided defeat discouraged Union soldiers and intensified public debate regarding the war and the wisdom of emancipation. The Confederates, on the other hand, were established as an Army that would and could fight and win.

Chatham, a plantation home built in 1771 in Stafford Heights, served as the Union headquarters during the Fredericksburg campaign. It sat on nearly 1,300 acres. The house was also used as a hospital after the battle. Chatham, too, suffered. Union soldiers tore paneling from its walls and used it as firewood, then scribbled their names on the plaster beneath. Outside they cut down trees, trampled the gardens, and destroyed fencing. By the war’s end, Chatham was a scene of desolation. This is just one example of the devastation the citizens felt as a result of the Civil War.

There is a story of a young confederate, Richard Kirkland from South Carolina, who braved both enemy and friendly fire and carried water to the wounded Yankee soldiers lying on the open field during the night. This was truly an angel of mercy.

This is a national battlefield park that is worth the visit.

I also managed to spend some time in old historic Fredericksburg. What an incredible downtown they have kept. I walked along Caroline Street, block after block, just looking in the shops and visiting many antique stores. The architecture is still in place from the 1800’s and the city is maintaining that style. Fredericksburg is a cozy, friendly, architecturally inviting town and definitely worth the visit.