The Fredericksburg Campaign stands as one of the most significant and devastating engagements in the American Civil War, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, during November and December of 1862. This critical period saw the Union Army, under a new commander, attempt to gain a decisive advantage, ultimately culminating in the bloody Battle of Fredericksburg.
By late 1862, President Abraham Lincoln urgently required a significant Union victory to bolster public confidence in the war effort. Earlier Confederate incursions into Kentucky and Maryland, though repelled, had demonstrated the South’s continued strength. Lincoln’s frustration with the perceived inaction of his generals led to a series of command changes, most notably replacing Major General George B. McClellan with Major General Ambrose E. Burnside on November 5. Burnside, now at the helm of the formidable Army of the Potomac, was tasked with delivering a much-needed blow to the Confederacy.
Burnside’s Strategic Advance to Fredericksburg
Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, seeking to outmaneuver Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, conceived a plan to advance rapidly on Fredericksburg, Virginia. His strategy involved a swift movement of the Union army to the town, followed by a crossing of the Rappahannock River using pontoon bridges. This would ideally allow him to bypass Lee’s entrenched positions and threaten the Confederate capital of Richmond.
On November 14, 1862, Burnside dispatched an advance corps to Falmouth, just across the Rappahannock from Fredericksburg. The rest of the Army of the Potomac soon followed, creating a massive Union presence. However, a critical delay in the arrival of the pontoon bridges proved disastrous. This unforeseen setback provided General Lee with invaluable time, allowing him to react decisively. Lee, recognizing the strategic importance of the heights behind Fredericksburg, began to entrench his army on elevated positions, including the formidable Marye’s Heights, effectively transforming the landscape into an impregnable defensive line.
The Challenging River Crossing and Urban Skirmishes
The Union engineers finally began laying five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River on December 11, but not without fierce resistance. Confederate sharpshooters and artillery unleashed a torrent of fire upon the bridge builders, turning the task into a deadly endeavor. Despite heavy casualties, Union forces persevered, establishing the vital crossings. This audacious feat of engineering under fire allowed the Federal army to begin its crossing on December 12. As Union troops entered Fredericksburg, they faced stiff opposition from Confederate skirmishers and engaged in brutal urban fighting, house-to-house, for control of the town.
The Battle of Fredericksburg: December 13, 1862
December 13, 1862, dawned clear and cold, setting the stage for one of the Civil War’s bloodiest days. Burnside, despite the strength of Lee’s entrenched positions, ordered a series of frontal assaults against the Confederate lines, believing that sheer numerical superiority could overwhelm the defenders.
Assaults on the Southern Flank: Prospect Hill
On the Union’s left flank, Major General William B. Franklin’s Grand Division was ordered to attack Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson’s positions on Prospect Hill. While the assaults here were less direct than those on Marye’s Heights, they were still incredibly fierce. General George Meade’s division briefly managed to penetrate a gap in Jackson’s line, achieving a fleeting moment of success. However, a swift and powerful Confederate counterattack, led by Major Generals Jubal Early and William D. Pender, quickly drove Meade’s men back, resulting in significant Union casualties and the death of Union General C. Feger Jackson. Confederate generals Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg also fell during the intense fighting on this flank.
The Devastating Charges on Marye’s Heights
The Union’s right flank witnessed the most horrific and futile efforts of the day. Burnside ordered repeated frontal assaults against Confederate positions on Marye’s Heights, where Confederate infantry was protected by a formidable stone wall along a sunken road, supported by massed artillery on the crest above. Wave after wave of Union soldiers marched across an open plain, only to be mown down by a devastating barrage of musketry and cannon fire. Confederate artillery enjoyed a clear field of fire, turning the ground into a killing field. General Robert E. Lee, observing the carnage, famously remarked,
