Battle of Fredericksburg

The battles of Fredericksburg is a battle of the American Civil War which proceeded the December 13rd 1862 between the army of the Potomac directed by the northerner general Ambrose Burnside and the southern army directed by Lee.

Involved forces

Union:

Army of Potomac: general major Ambrose Everett Burnside.

Provost Marshall: general sergeant Marsena Rudolph Patrick.

Division of Right-hand side: general major Edwin Vose Sumner.

2 bodies: general major Darius Nash Couch.

1 division: general sergeant Winfield Scott Hancock.

1 brigade: general sergeant John Curtis Caldwell, then colonel George W. von Schack.
2 brigade: general sergeant Thomas Francis Meagher.
3 brigade: colonel Samuel Kosciuszko Zook.¨

2 division: general sergeant Oliver Otis Howard.

1 brigade: general sergeant Alfred Sully.
2 brigade: colonel Joshua Thomas Owen.
3 brigade: colonel N.J. Hall.

3 division: general sergeant William Henry French.

1 brigade: general sergeant Nathan Kimball, then colonel J.S. Mason.
2 brigade: colonel Oliver Hazard Micrometer caliper.
3 brigade: colonel J.W. Andrews, then lieutenant colonel W. Jameson, then lieutenant colonel H.W. Marshall.

9 bodies: general sergeant Bolivar Orlando Wilcox.

1 division: general sergeant William Wallace Burns.

1 brigade: colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe.
3 brigade: colonel D. Leasure.

2 division: general sergeant Samuel Davis Sturgis.

1 brigade: general sergeant James B. Nagle.
2 brigade: general sergeant Edward Ferrero.

3 division: general sergeant George Washington Getty.

1 brigade: colonel R.C. Hawkins.
2 brigade: colonel E. Harland.

Division of cavalry: general sergeant Alfred Pleasonton.

1 brigade of cavalry: general sergeant Franklin John Farnsworth.
2 brigade of cavalry: colonel David Mac Murtrie Gregg.

Division of the Center: general major Joseph Hooker.

3 bodies: general sergeant George Stoneman.

1 division: general sergeant David Bell Birney.

1 brigade: general sergeant James Sidney Robinson.
2 brigade: general sergeant John Henry Hobart Ward.
3 brigade: general sergeant Hiram Gregory Berry.

2 division: general sergeant Daniel Edgar Sickles.

2 brigade: colonel G.B. Hall.
3 brigade: general sergeant Joseph Warren Revere.

3 division: general sergeant Amiel Weeks Whipple.

1 brigade: general sergeant Absam Sanders Piatt, colonel E. Franklin.
2 brigade: colonel S.S. Carroll.

5 bodies: general sergeant Daniel Butterfield.

1 division: general sergeant Charles Griffin.

1 brigade: colonel J. Barnes.
2 brigade: colonel J.B. Sweitzer.
3 brigade: colonel T.B.W. Stockton.

2 division: general sergeant George Sykes.

1 brigade: lieutenant colonel R.C. Buchanan.
2 brigade: major George L. Andrews, major Charles S. Lovell.
3 brigade: general sergeant Governor Kemble Warren.

3 division: general sergeant Andrew Atkinson Humphreys.

1 brigade: general sergeant Erastus Bernard Tyler.
2 brigade: colonel P.H. Allabach.
Brigade of independent cavalry: general sergeant William Woods Averell.

Division of Left: general major William Franklin Buel.

1 body: general major John Fulton Reynolds.

1 division: general sergeant Abner Doubleday.

1 brigade: colonel Walter Phelps Jr.
2 brigade: colonel J. Gavin.
3 brigade: colonel W.F. Rogers.
4 brigade: general sergeant Solomon Meredith, colonel L. Culter.

2 division: general sergeant John Gibbon, then general sergeant Nelson Taylor.

1 brigade: colonel A.R. Root.
2 brigade: colonel Peter Lyle.
3 brigade: general sergeant Nelson Taylor, then colonel S.H. Leonard.

3 division: general major George Gordon Meade.

1 brigade: colonel W. Sinclair, then colonel W. Mac Candless.
2 brigade: colonel A.L. Magilton.
3 brigade: general sergeant Conrad Feger Jackson (killed), then colonel J.W. Fisher, then lieutenant colonel R. Anderson.

6 bodies: general major William Farrar Smith.

1 division: general sergeant William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks.

1 brigade: colonel Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert.
2 brigade: colonel H.L. Cake.
3 brigade: general sergeant David Allen Russell.

2 division: general sergeant Albion Paris Howe.

1 brigade: general sergeant Calvin Edward Pratt.
2 brigade: colonel H. Whiting.
3 brigade: general sergeant Francis Laurens Vinton, then colonel R.F. Taylor, then general sergeant Thomas Hewson Neill.

3 division: general sergeant John Newton.

1 brigade: general sergeant John Cochrane.
2 brigade: general sergeant Charles Devens Jr.
3 brigade: colonel T.A. Rowley, general sergeant Frank Wheaton.
Brigade of independent cavalry: general sergeant George Dashiell Bayard (killed), then colonel David Mac Murtrie Gregg.
Brigade of the Genius: general sergeant Daniel Phinéas Woodbury.
Artillery: general sergeant Henry Jackson Hunt.

Confederation:

Army of Virginia of North: general Robert Edward Lee.

1 body: general lieutenant James Longstreet.

Division of general major Lafayette Mac Laws.

Brigade of the general sergeant Joseph Brevard Kershaw.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Barksdale.
Brigade of the general sergeant Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb (killed), then colonel R. Mac Milan.
Brigade of the general sergeant Paul Jones Sow.

Division of general major Richard Heron Anderson (casualty).

Brigade of the general sergeant Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Mahone.
Brigade of the general sergeant Winfield Scott Featherston.
Brigade of the general sergeant Ambrose Ransom Wright (casualty).
Brigade of the general sergeant Edward Aylesworth Perry.

Division of general major George Edward Pickett.

Brigade of the general sergeant Richard Brooke Garnett.
Brigade of the general sergeant Lewis Addison Armistead.
Brigade of the general sergeant James Lawson Kemper.
Brigade of the general sergeant Micah Jenkins.
Brigade of the general sergeant Montgomery Corsica Tooth.

Division of general major Beautiful John Hood.

Brigade of the general sergeant Evander Mac Ivor Law.
Brigade of the general sergeant Jerome Bonaparte Robertson.
Brigade of the general sergeant George Thomas Anderson.
Brigade of the general sergeant Robert Augustus Toombs: colonel H.L. Benning.

Division of the general sergeant Robert Ransom Jr.

Brigade of the general sergeant Robert Ransom Jr.
Brigade of the general sergeant John Rogers Cooke, then colonel E.D. Hall.

2 bodies: general lieutenant Thomas Jonathan Jackson.

Division of general major Daniel Harvey Hill.

1 brigade: general sergeant Robert Emmett Grind.
2 brigade: general sergeant George Pierce Pare.
3 brigade: general sergeant Alfred Holt Colquitt.
4 brigade: general sergeant Alfred Iverson Jr.
5 brigade: colonel B. Grimes.

light Division of general major Ambrose Powell Hill.

1 brigade: colonel J. Mr. Brockenbrough.
2 brigade: general sergeant Maxcy Gregg (killed), then colonel D.H. Hamilton.
3 brigade: general sergeant Edward Lloyd Thomas.
4 brigade: general sergeant James Henry Lane.
5 brigade: general sergeant James Jay Archer.
6 brigade: general sergeant William Dorsey Pender (casualty), then colonel A.M. Scales.

Division of general major Richard Stoddert Ewell: general sergeant Jubal Anderson Early.

Brigade of the general sergeant Alexander Robert Lawton: colonel E. NR. Atkinson (captured), then colonel C.A. Evans.
Brigade of the general sergeant Isaac Ridgeway Trimble: colonel R.F. Hoke.
Brigade of the general sergeant Jubal Anderson Early: colonel J.A. Walker.
Brigade of the general sergeant Harry Thompson Hays.

Division of the general lieutenant Thomas Jonathan Jackson: general sergeant William Booth Taliaferro.

1 brigade: general sergeant Franklin Elisha Paxton.
2 brigade: general sergeant John Robert Jones.
3 brigade: colonel E.H.T. Warren.
4 brigade: colonel E. Pendleton.

Division of cavalry: general major James Ewell Brown Stuart.

1 brigade of cavalry: general sergeant Wade Hampton.
2 brigade of cavalry: general sergeant Fitzhugh Lee.
3 brigade of cavalry: general sergeant William Henry Fitzhugh Lee.

Artillery of reserve: general sergeant William Nelson Pendleton.

Introduction

At the time of the month of October 1862, McClellan was raised of her command of general of Potomac because of its too greatest caution which did not enable him to take Richmond. George McClellan during the year 1862, did nothing but move back and this ends up exasperating Lincoln which replaced it by the Burnside general. This last was rather saddened departure of the former general and it did not feel ready to direct an army of this importance. The future was going to give him reason. Burnside started by advancing its 110.000 men in direction of Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg. It was separated from this city by the river Rappahannock. For Ambrose Burnside, its army was to be able to cross the river and to advance towards Richmond with the assistance of the northerner navy more powerful than that of the Southerners and who would protect the route supply of the army of Potomac. The November 17th and in spite of a great number of obstacles, two northerner bodies arrived in Falmouth. Lee, taken speed, could not block the northerner advance. Unfortunately for the federal ones, the pontoon which was to be set up to cross Rappahannock arrived one week too late and Stonewall Jackson had time to be able to support Longstreet. The 75.000 Southerners had been thus established on the southern heights dominating Rappahannock.

Thus Lee could be allowed to winter on its new positions, but that was not appropriate for Burnside which had been named by Lincoln to bring victories to go up moral northerner population. Burnside decided to surprise Lee just while crossing the river opposite its positions instead of crossing it on the sides of Lee. The general Southerner did not include/understand besides all the subtlety of this rather stupid operation. The body of Longstreet, established over a 6 kilometers length could draw with a great facility on the northerners which would cross the river and would have 800 meters to traverse before reaching the rebellious positions. A Officer known as: “A chicken would not leave alive this field, when we open fire”. At the beginning of engagement, the men of Stonewall Jackson were to make their junction with the body of Longstreet and to prolong the rebellious face of 5 kilometer towards the South Is.

Be a prelude to of the battle

The December 11th, the northerner genius installed three bridge just opposite Fredericksburg and three others with three kilometers downstream. On this position, the men of the genious did not undergo any attack what was not the case of those which installed bridge them in Fredericksburg which was made attack by a brigade of the the Mississippi positioned in trenches and which are reflected to draw as soon as the paddle made its appearance. In spite of the reaction of the northerner batteries, the riflemen Southerners continued their shootings and finally, three northerner regiments were unloaded by Bateau in Fredericksburg and drove out the rebels of their positions before plundering the houses of the city deserted by its inhabitants. Burnside had provided for its plan that the left wing of the Union directed by the general William B. Franklin was to attack the right wing of the Southerners directed by Jackson. On its side the right wing of the Union was simply to touch the defense Southerner which was positioned on the coast of Marye' S Heights. Nevertheless in the event of success of the attack the Franklin one on the right wing, the northerner left wing was to launch a true attack on the Rebels. The basic plan had little chance well to succeed vis-a-vis a general of the hardening of Lee. Franklin moreover accepted in manner décousue the orders and could not effectively attack with its 50.000 men the Southerners.

Course of the battle

The following day, the northerners advanced in direction of the hill of Hill Prospective customer where the Southerners had been established. The attack started with the attack of division coming from Pennsylvania of George Gordon Meade supported by divisions of Gibbon and Doubleday. The general realized that a wooded ravine formed a breach in the line of Jackson and by tackling this weak point the federal ones succeeded in forcing the line Southerner but divisions of Gibbon and Meade were separate. Moreover northerners could not exploit this attack, Franklin did not send troops of support for Meade. It is the reserve Southerner which it was sent by Lee which pushed back the federal ones. One needed the support of artillery to stop the rebels. In spite of the orders of Burnside, Franklin did not counter-attack, it did not manage in any event to put in battle order the totality of its men.

On their side, the northerners which were to touch defenses Southerners are reflected to attack the rebels. These attacks were more or less desperate, the federal ones launched waves of attacks by detachments of the size of a division. Thus of hard combat were held side of the wall of Marye' S Heights. The obstacles were numerous for the attackers, a ravine and a small marsh barred the passage towards the sunken lane protected by a stone wall 800 meters length behind which the Southerners had been established. Thus the northerners saw their attacks blocked with 50 meters of their objective, and almost always the Yankees left behind them a hundred died and casualties. The Southerners were organized in four lines kept by of Caroliniens of North and Géorgiens. Thus organized, the Southerners drew and reloaded while the men behind started to draw and so on. The concentration of the shootings could make think of a machine-gun. But in spite of that, the northerners hopelessly continued to attack the rebellious positions, 14 brigades were launched to the attack but the Southerners held good.

Conclusion

Whereas the night was on the point of falling, the northerners had just undergone a terrible defeat, losing 13.000 killed and wounded especially concentrated on the level of the wall of Marye' S Heights. The Southerners them lost less than 5000 men thanks to their excellent defense. The December 14th Burnside wanted to carry out the 9th army corps in an ultimate attack before being resigned and refranchir Rappahannock. This defeat was one of most terrible of the war and the population of North was struck by the horrors of the war. Soldiers having to bury the soldiers described later the horrors of their work. Most of the time the corpses were already rotting, some did not have more head, others were dismembered. This defeat gave a heavy blow to moral for the northerners, as well for the army as for the civilians. Some thought that the president was going to resign but it of it was nothing, Lincoln remained at its station.

Sources

James McPherson, the American Civil War (1861-1865) , editions Robert Laffont.
Catton, Bruce, Terrible Sword Swift: The Centennial History off the Civil War, Volume 2 , Doubleday, 1963, ISBN 0-385-02614-5.
Eicher, David J., The Longest Night: In Military History off the Civil War , Simon & Schuster, 2001, ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
Esposito, Vincent J., '' West Point Atlas off American Wars '', Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
Gallagher, Gary W., ED., The Fredericksburg Campaign: Decision one the Rappahannock , University off North Carolina Near, 1995, ISBN 0-8078-2193-4.
Goolrick, William K., and the Editors off Time-Life Books, Resurgent Rebels: Fredericksburg to Chancellorsville , Time-Life Books, 1985, ISBN 0-8094-4748-7.
Foote, Shelby, Civil The War, has Narrative: Fredericksburg to Meridian , Random House, 1958, ISBN 0-394-49517-9.
Tucker, Spencer C., " First Battle off Fredericksburg" , Encyclopedia off the Civil American War: In Political, Social, and Military History , Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., W.W. Norton & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-393-04758-X.

Random links: