Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought on December 13, 1862, was a significant encounter during the American Civil War. It took place in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, where Union forces, led by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, launched a misguided attack against a well-fortified Confederate army commanded by General Robert E. Lee. The Confederates had established a strong defensive position on Marye's Heights, which proved nearly impregnable for the attacking Union troops.
Despite some initial successes in a diversionary attack, the Union forces faced overwhelming challenges as they advanced uphill across open ground under heavy artillery fire. The result was a series of poorly coordinated assaults that led to substantial casualties, with the Union suffering around 12,700 losses compared to approximately 5,000 for the Confederates. The devastating outcome of the battle significantly impacted Northern morale and led to a leadership change in the Union army shortly thereafter. The Battle of Fredericksburg is often remembered for its harsh realities of war and the costly sacrifices made by soldiers.
Battle of Fredericksburg
Type of action: Ground battle in the American Civil War
Date: December 13, 1862
Location: At and near Fredericksburg, Virginia
Combatants: 130,000 Union vs. 75,000 Confederate forces
Principal commanders: Union, Major General Ambrose E. Burnside (1824–1881); Confederate, General Robert E. Lee (1807–1870)
Result: Decisive, dispiriting defeat for the Union
Even though the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, established a strong seven-mile defensive line west and south of Fredericksburg, Major General Ambrose E. Burnside decided to attack there on December 13. His plan had no chance of succeeding. A diversionary effort to the south achieved a brief breakthrough in the morning, but failure to press the advantage guaranteed that the main attack would be made at Fredericksburg against an almost impregnable Confederate position along Marye’s Heights.
Advancing uphill across open ground swept by artillery toward infantry well posted on a sunken road behind a stone wall, the Union troops attacked valiantly throughout the afternoon. Given the terrain and Confederate placements, the offensive degenerated into a series of piecemeal, suicidal, frontal assaults, all of which were bloodily repulsed. Nightfall mercifully ended the slaughter, and two days later, the Union army withdrew across the Rappahannock River. Fredericksburg—one of the most lopsided battles of the war—cost the Union 12,700 lives, the Confederacy barely 5,000.
Significance
The futile, almost criminal, sacrifice of Union soldiers at Fredericksburg plunged morale in the North and in the Army of the Potomac to a new low in the winter of 1862–1863. Burnside was replaced in January, 1863, by Joseph Hooker, who restored the army to its fighting trim.
Bibliography
Gallagher, Gary W., ed. The Fredericksburg Campaign: Decision on the Rappahannock. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995.
Marvel, William. Burnside. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991.
Whan, Vorin E. Fiasco at Fredericksburg. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1961.