The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought on December 13, 1862 between General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, is today remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the American Civil War. Download high resolution version (900x628, 474 KB)TITLE: Battle of Fredericksburg--the Army o. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Spotsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Fredericksburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia, 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 55 miles north of Richmond, Virginia. ... National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans... National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans... Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ... Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ...

The battle was the result of an effort by the Union Army to regain the initiative in its struggle against Lee's smaller but more aggressive army. Burnside was appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac in October in spite of the fact that his predecessor, Maj. Gen. George McClellan, had stopped Lee at the Battle of Antietam in September. Much of the reason for this was a result of McClellan's lack of decisiveness and the excessive amount of time he required to continually reorganize and re-equip his army following major battles. The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ... George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885) was a Major General of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Battle of Antietam Conflict American Civil War Date September 17, 1862 Place Near Sharpsburg, Maryland Result (Union strategic victory) The Battle of Antietam (known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South), fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle...

Burnside, in response to requests and proddings from President Abraham Lincoln and general in chief Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, planned a late fall offensive in which he hoped to cross the Rappahannock River, seize the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and then move southward along the roads to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. This plan was spoiled due to issues with the delivery of the pontoon bridges, even though crossable fords had been located both upstream and downstream. By the time the pontoons were laid, Lee was dug in south and west of Fredericksburg with a force of 72,564 men. Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th (1861–1865) President of the United States, and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Henry Wager Halleck (1815 - 1872) was an American soldier and politician. ... For the river in New Zealand, see Rappahannock River, New Zealand The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia in the United States, approximately 184 mi (294 km). ... Fredericksburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia, 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 55 miles north of Richmond, Virginia. ... National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans... Richmond is the capital of Virginia, a state (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. ...

Nevertheless, Burnside went ahead with the crossing and elected to fight Lee anyway, despite objections from at least two of his general staff. He counted on the numerical strength of his army, which numbered 117,000 effectives, to drive Lee out of his defensive positions and force him to retreat toward Richmond. In addition to his numerical advantage in troop strength, Burnside also had the advantage of knowing his army could not be attacked effectively. On the other side of the Rappahannock, 300 artillery pieces had been located on a ridge known as Stafford Heights to prevent Lee's army from mounting any major counterattacks.

Lee had great faith in his army, even though he was fairly uncertain of the plans of the opposing commander as late as two days before the Union Army attempted a crossing. He deployed approximately 20,000 men on his left flank, which was anchored on the ridge known as Marye's Heights, just to the west of the city, behind a stone wall at the crest of the ridge. Fearing a crossing downstream, south of the city, he deployed the rest of his men to the south, also interspersed with hills which made for an excellent defensive position. He assigned Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, his best subordinate for defensive operations, to handle the left flank with his First Corps. On the right, where there was some chance of counterattacking if the opportunity presented itself, Lee posted the fiery Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and his smaller, but more offensive-minded Second Corps, which had performed with great valor in recent actions in the Shenandoah Campaign. James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost generals of the American Civil War, and later enjoyed a successful post-war career working for the government of his former enemies, as a diplomat and administrator. ... For the 1960s country music artist, see Stonewall Jackson (musician); for the submarine, see USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634). ... The Valley Campaign was Confederate General Stonewall Jacksons brilliant campaign through the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia in 1862, during the American Civil War. ...

Map of the events of the Battle.

With the bridges in place, the Union forces crossed the Rappahannock on December 11 in the face of Confederate sharpshooters who had taken up positions inside abandoned buildings within the city and were picking off engineers in the morning fog. Attempting to drive the sharpshooters out, Union artillery bombardments destroyed many of the buildings without much effect. The workable solution was to send small teams of infantry across in boats. After the five bridges were in place, Burnside's men looted the city of with a fury that enraged Lee, who compared their depredations with those of the ancient Vandals. The destruction also enraged Lee's men, many of whom were native Virginians. Over the course of that day and the next, Burnside's men deployed outside the city and prepared to attack Lee's army. Download high resolution version (918x1494, 216 KB)Battle of Fredericksburg map. ... Download high resolution version (918x1494, 216 KB)Battle of Fredericksburg map. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire, and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ...

The battle opened on the morning of December 13, when the Union left wing commander Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin sent two divisions into a previously unseen gap in Jackson's defenses on the right. Jackson quickly responded with a withering counterattack that inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, and dissuaded Burnside from any more attacks on the Confederate right. Instead, he decided to attempt to break the left. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Major General William B. Franklin William Buel Franklin ( February 27, 1823 – March 8, 1903) was a career Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. ...

For the next several hours, Burnside ordered division after division of his army to assault Marye's Heights. Each division was mowed down by Longstreet's defenders as it attempted to cross the open ground in front of Marye's Heights. Seven Union divisions were sent in, generally one brigade at a time, for a total of fourteen individual charges, all of which failed, costing the divisions over 9,000 casualties. Confederate losses at Marye's Heights totaled around 1,500. The falling of darkness and the entreaties of Burnside's subordinates were enough to put an end to the attacks. Thousands of Union soldiers spent the cold December night on the fields leading to the Heights, unable to move or assist the wounded due to Confederate fire.

The armies remained in position throughout the day on December 14, when Burnside briefly considered leading his old IX Corps in one final attack on Marye's Heights, but reconsidered. That afternoon, Burnside asked Lee for a truce to attend to his wounded, which Lee graciously granted. The next day the Federal forces retreated across the river and the campaign came to an end. December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The casualties sustained by each army showed clearly how disastrous the Union army's tactics were, and Burnside was relieved of command a month later (following the humiliating failure of his "Mud March"). The Union army lost over 13,000 men, with more than 10,000 of them coming as a result of the repeated attacks on Marye's Heights. The Confederate army lost about 4,500, most of them in the early fighting on Jackson's front. Longstreet's corps lost only about 500 men. The Mud March was an abortive attempt at a winter offensive in January, 1863, by Major General Ambrose Burnside in the American Civil War. ...

Portions of the Fredericksburg battlefield are now preserved as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, administered by the National Park Service. The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States Federal Government agency that deals with all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation properties with various designations. ...