Embarrassed by General McClellan's repeated defeats and apparent lack of commitment
in prosecuting the war, Lincoln replaced him on November 7 with General Ambrose
Burnside. Burnside launched a winter campaign against the Confederate capital,
Richmond, by way of Fredericksburg, a strategically important town on the Rappahannock
River. The Federal Army of the Potomac, 115,000-strong, raced to Fredericksburg,
arriving on November 17. There were only a few thousand Confederates on hand to
challenge them, yet the Federal advance ground to a halt on the eastern bank of the
Rappahannock, opposite the city. Burnside's campaign was delayed for over a week when
material he had ordered for pontoon bridges failed to arrive. Disappointed by the delay,
Burnside marked time for a further two weeks. Meanwhile, Lee took advantage of the
stalled Federal drive to concentrate and entrench his Army of Northern Virginia, some
78,000-strong, on the high ground behind Fredericksburg.
With the arrival of the pontoons, Burnside crossed the river on December 11,
despite fierce fire from Confederate snipers concealed in buildings along the city's
river front. When the Confederates withdrew, Federal soldiers looted the town, from
which the inhabitants had been evacuated. By December 13, Burnside was
prepared to launch a two-pronged attack to drive Lee's forces from an imposing
set of hills just outside Fredericksburg.
The main assault struck south of the city. Misunderstandings and bungled
leadership on the part of the commander of the Federal left, Major General William
B. Franklin, limited the attacking force to two small divisions - Major General
George G. Meade to lead; Major General John Gibbon in support. Meade's troops
broke through an unguarded gap in the Confederate lines, but Jackson's men
expelled the unsupported Federals, inflicting heavy losses. Burnside launched his
second attack from Fredericksburg against the Confederate left on Marye's
Heights. Wave after wave of Federal attackers were mown down by Confederate
troops firing from an unassailable position in a sunken road protected by a stone
wall. Over the course of the afternoon, no fewer than fourteen successive Federal
brigades charged the wall of Confederate fire. Not a single Federal soldier
reached Longstreet's line.
On December 15, Burnside ordered his beaten army back across the
Rappahannock.The Union had lost 13,000 soldiers in a battle in which the dreadful
carnage was matched only by its futility. Federal morale plummeted, and Burnside
was swiftly relieved of his command. By contrast, the morale of the Confederacy
reached a peak. Their casualties had been considerably lighter than the Union's,
totaling only 5,000. Lee's substantial victory at Fredericksburg, won with relative
ease, increased the already buoyant confidence of the Army of Northern Virginia,
which led subsequently to the invasion of the North the following summer.
Source: "The Atlas of the Civil War" by James M. McPherson
in prosecuting the war, Lincoln replaced him on November 7 with General Ambrose
Burnside. Burnside launched a winter campaign against the Confederate capital,
Richmond, by way of Fredericksburg, a strategically important town on the Rappahannock
River. The Federal Army of the Potomac, 115,000-strong, raced to Fredericksburg,
arriving on November 17. There were only a few thousand Confederates on hand to
challenge them, yet the Federal advance ground to a halt on the eastern bank of the
Rappahannock, opposite the city. Burnside's campaign was delayed for over a week when
material he had ordered for pontoon bridges failed to arrive. Disappointed by the delay,
Burnside marked time for a further two weeks. Meanwhile, Lee took advantage of the
stalled Federal drive to concentrate and entrench his Army of Northern Virginia, some
78,000-strong, on the high ground behind Fredericksburg.
With the arrival of the pontoons, Burnside crossed the river on December 11,
despite fierce fire from Confederate snipers concealed in buildings along the city's
river front. When the Confederates withdrew, Federal soldiers looted the town, from
which the inhabitants had been evacuated. By December 13, Burnside was
prepared to launch a two-pronged attack to drive Lee's forces from an imposing
set of hills just outside Fredericksburg.
The main assault struck south of the city. Misunderstandings and bungled
leadership on the part of the commander of the Federal left, Major General William
B. Franklin, limited the attacking force to two small divisions - Major General
George G. Meade to lead; Major General John Gibbon in support. Meade's troops
broke through an unguarded gap in the Confederate lines, but Jackson's men
expelled the unsupported Federals, inflicting heavy losses. Burnside launched his
second attack from Fredericksburg against the Confederate left on Marye's
Heights. Wave after wave of Federal attackers were mown down by Confederate
troops firing from an unassailable position in a sunken road protected by a stone
wall. Over the course of the afternoon, no fewer than fourteen successive Federal
brigades charged the wall of Confederate fire. Not a single Federal soldier
reached Longstreet's line.
On December 15, Burnside ordered his beaten army back across the
Rappahannock.The Union had lost 13,000 soldiers in a battle in which the dreadful
carnage was matched only by its futility. Federal morale plummeted, and Burnside
was swiftly relieved of his command. By contrast, the morale of the Confederacy
reached a peak. Their casualties had been considerably lighter than the Union's,
totaling only 5,000. Lee's substantial victory at Fredericksburg, won with relative
ease, increased the already buoyant confidence of the Army of Northern Virginia,
which led subsequently to the invasion of the North the following summer.
Source: "The Atlas of the Civil War" by James M. McPherson
The Battle of Fredericksburg
