Okla-homey
12/13/2006, 07:13 AM
December 13, 1862 Federals assault intrenched Rebs on heights above Fredericksburg, VA
144 years ago, on this day in 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac is dramatically and tragically repulsed at Fredericksburg, Virginia, as General Ambrose Burnside continues to execute his plan to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8721/attackburnside20ambrose20evere.jpg
Ambrose Burnside...yep, he's probably the guy for which "sideburns" were named. Seriously.
The whole affair started out badly for the Federals. They didn't get across the river and in position to step off versus Lee's fellers until three weeks after Burnside's army had arrived at Falmouth, just across the river from Fredericksburg.
Due to a logistical error, pontoon bridges had not been available so the army could not cross; the delay allowed Confederate General Robert E. Lee ample time to post his Army of Northern Virginia along Marye's Heights above Fredericksburg and develop well-planned prepared defensive positions.
Burnside, the current Big Cahuna in the Federal army had replaced General George McClellan as head of the Army of the Potomac just prior to this debacle (in early November.) Right after Burnside took over, he cooked-up a plan to move his army quickly down the Rappahannock River, cross the river, and race Lee's army south to Richmond.
Everything went according to plan as the Yankees sped south from Warrenton, Virginia. Burnside surprised even Lee with his swiftness--the leading Union corps covered 40 miles in two days -- walking mind you, in cold weather, wearing 40 pounds of crap too.
The entire army was at Falmouth by November 19. At this point, as has been mentioned above, it all went to crap. Although ready to cross the Rappahannock, the army did not begin receiving the pontoon bridges until the end of the month due to mistakes made by the engineering corps.
The delay allowed Lee to move his troops into position on the opposite side of the river and gave him almost three weeks to dig in, carefully position his artillery for inter-locking fields of fire -- in short, position his forces where they could inflict the most mayhem while suffering the fewest casualties.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8853/attackconfederatedeadfrederick.gif
Section of the CS line above Fredericksburg after the battle. The Rebs crouched behind this stone wall and poured fire on the US attack with relative impunity.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/396/attackfredericksburg63ze.jpg
Confederate position as viewed from the US attackers perspective. To get to the point where the camera that shot this view was sited, the US forces had to cross almost a half-mile, all uphill, under fire for most of the way.
Its important to understand a little background to get a sense of the massive scope of the impending blunder here. The South had won several major engagements by the time of the second Christmas of the Civil War (a.k.a. the "War Between the States" as is preferred by southern partisans.)
However, this Federal whipping at Fredericksburg, was heretofore unparalleled in intensity and one-sidedness. It was made more tragic by the fact it could have been avoided since MG Winfield Hancock, one of the Federal division commanders, had asked permission of Burnside to wade his division across the fordable river before the pontoon bridging arrived.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2876/attackhancock1ak.jpg
Win Hancock...he knew what was about to happen but was powerless to stop it.
Hancock, a professional soldier, understood the vital necessity of securing the opposite bank of the river and the need to prevent Bobby Lee's boys from occupying the high ground overlooking the river crossing points as well as any Federal avenue of attack.
Few things succ more in warfare than forced river crossings made under fire and attacking uphill against an intrenched and well-prepared enemy. Nevertheless, the commanding general Burnside denied Hancock permission to secure the opposite bank and the high ground beyond...and the rest is history.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5417/attackfredericksburg39nb.jpg
Pontoon bridging the army used to cross the river before attacking the Rebs situated on the heights above.
President Lincoln even visited Burniside's army at the end of November, and, realizing that the element of surprise was lost, characterized Burnside's plan as "somewhat risky."
On December 11, Burnside's engineers finally began to assemble the bridges. Confederate sharpshooters in Fredericksburg picked away at the builders, so Yankee artillery began a barrage that reduced to rubble many of the buildings along the river.
http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/5819/2001455703084458942_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001455703084458942)
Federal attack to run the Reb sharpshooters out of the town of Fredericksburg in advance of the crossing of the main US army.
Three regiments ran the sharpshooters out of the town, and the bridge was completed soon after. By evening on the 11th, the Union army was crossing the Rappahannock. By the next day, the entire army was on the other side and Burnside planned the actual attack -- all uphill, against a dug-in, rested, well-supplied and experienced foe.:eek:
http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/7546/2001420961012288493_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001420961012288493)
Map of the disasterous battle that occured on 13 December.
The Battle of Fredericksburg, which took place on this day in 1862, was an enormous defeat for the Army of the Potomac. Burnside ordered 14 direct frontal assaults before realizing he could not dislodge Lee above. Ten percent of Burnside's soldiers were casualties. Lee lost less than 5,000 men while Burnside lost 12,600.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/739/attckbattle20of20fredericksbur.jpg
Currier & Ives print of the big fight on 13 December.
"We might as well have tried to take Hell," a Union soldier later remarked.
Lee is said to have remarked during the fighting, "It is well that war is so terrible - we should grow too fond of it"
The Federal casualties in proportion the Reb casualties at Fredericksburg were not exceeded until much later in the war (e.g. The Wilderness, Cold Harbor). The Feds had been partially routed at Chancellorsville, but there numbers were approximately 14,000 US casualties vs. 10,000 CS. Plus, the South lost Jackson there. Contrast that to 12,600 US to 5000 CS at Fredericksburg. Staggering defeat.
That's why a couple years later, at the height of Longstreet's assault (aka "Pickett's Charge") on the third day at Gettysburg, the CS men who lived to make it within earshot of the Federal center, heard some Yanks shouting "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" as the Rebs withdrew as a way of saying "Payback's a beyotch!"
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6238/insane7zocn2.jpg
144 years ago, on this day in 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac is dramatically and tragically repulsed at Fredericksburg, Virginia, as General Ambrose Burnside continues to execute his plan to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8721/attackburnside20ambrose20evere.jpg
Ambrose Burnside...yep, he's probably the guy for which "sideburns" were named. Seriously.
The whole affair started out badly for the Federals. They didn't get across the river and in position to step off versus Lee's fellers until three weeks after Burnside's army had arrived at Falmouth, just across the river from Fredericksburg.
Due to a logistical error, pontoon bridges had not been available so the army could not cross; the delay allowed Confederate General Robert E. Lee ample time to post his Army of Northern Virginia along Marye's Heights above Fredericksburg and develop well-planned prepared defensive positions.
Burnside, the current Big Cahuna in the Federal army had replaced General George McClellan as head of the Army of the Potomac just prior to this debacle (in early November.) Right after Burnside took over, he cooked-up a plan to move his army quickly down the Rappahannock River, cross the river, and race Lee's army south to Richmond.
Everything went according to plan as the Yankees sped south from Warrenton, Virginia. Burnside surprised even Lee with his swiftness--the leading Union corps covered 40 miles in two days -- walking mind you, in cold weather, wearing 40 pounds of crap too.
The entire army was at Falmouth by November 19. At this point, as has been mentioned above, it all went to crap. Although ready to cross the Rappahannock, the army did not begin receiving the pontoon bridges until the end of the month due to mistakes made by the engineering corps.
The delay allowed Lee to move his troops into position on the opposite side of the river and gave him almost three weeks to dig in, carefully position his artillery for inter-locking fields of fire -- in short, position his forces where they could inflict the most mayhem while suffering the fewest casualties.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8853/attackconfederatedeadfrederick.gif
Section of the CS line above Fredericksburg after the battle. The Rebs crouched behind this stone wall and poured fire on the US attack with relative impunity.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/396/attackfredericksburg63ze.jpg
Confederate position as viewed from the US attackers perspective. To get to the point where the camera that shot this view was sited, the US forces had to cross almost a half-mile, all uphill, under fire for most of the way.
Its important to understand a little background to get a sense of the massive scope of the impending blunder here. The South had won several major engagements by the time of the second Christmas of the Civil War (a.k.a. the "War Between the States" as is preferred by southern partisans.)
However, this Federal whipping at Fredericksburg, was heretofore unparalleled in intensity and one-sidedness. It was made more tragic by the fact it could have been avoided since MG Winfield Hancock, one of the Federal division commanders, had asked permission of Burnside to wade his division across the fordable river before the pontoon bridging arrived.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2876/attackhancock1ak.jpg
Win Hancock...he knew what was about to happen but was powerless to stop it.
Hancock, a professional soldier, understood the vital necessity of securing the opposite bank of the river and the need to prevent Bobby Lee's boys from occupying the high ground overlooking the river crossing points as well as any Federal avenue of attack.
Few things succ more in warfare than forced river crossings made under fire and attacking uphill against an intrenched and well-prepared enemy. Nevertheless, the commanding general Burnside denied Hancock permission to secure the opposite bank and the high ground beyond...and the rest is history.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5417/attackfredericksburg39nb.jpg
Pontoon bridging the army used to cross the river before attacking the Rebs situated on the heights above.
President Lincoln even visited Burniside's army at the end of November, and, realizing that the element of surprise was lost, characterized Burnside's plan as "somewhat risky."
On December 11, Burnside's engineers finally began to assemble the bridges. Confederate sharpshooters in Fredericksburg picked away at the builders, so Yankee artillery began a barrage that reduced to rubble many of the buildings along the river.
http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/5819/2001455703084458942_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001455703084458942)
Federal attack to run the Reb sharpshooters out of the town of Fredericksburg in advance of the crossing of the main US army.
Three regiments ran the sharpshooters out of the town, and the bridge was completed soon after. By evening on the 11th, the Union army was crossing the Rappahannock. By the next day, the entire army was on the other side and Burnside planned the actual attack -- all uphill, against a dug-in, rested, well-supplied and experienced foe.:eek:
http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/7546/2001420961012288493_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001420961012288493)
Map of the disasterous battle that occured on 13 December.
The Battle of Fredericksburg, which took place on this day in 1862, was an enormous defeat for the Army of the Potomac. Burnside ordered 14 direct frontal assaults before realizing he could not dislodge Lee above. Ten percent of Burnside's soldiers were casualties. Lee lost less than 5,000 men while Burnside lost 12,600.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/739/attckbattle20of20fredericksbur.jpg
Currier & Ives print of the big fight on 13 December.
"We might as well have tried to take Hell," a Union soldier later remarked.
Lee is said to have remarked during the fighting, "It is well that war is so terrible - we should grow too fond of it"
The Federal casualties in proportion the Reb casualties at Fredericksburg were not exceeded until much later in the war (e.g. The Wilderness, Cold Harbor). The Feds had been partially routed at Chancellorsville, but there numbers were approximately 14,000 US casualties vs. 10,000 CS. Plus, the South lost Jackson there. Contrast that to 12,600 US to 5000 CS at Fredericksburg. Staggering defeat.
That's why a couple years later, at the height of Longstreet's assault (aka "Pickett's Charge") on the third day at Gettysburg, the CS men who lived to make it within earshot of the Federal center, heard some Yanks shouting "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" as the Rebs withdrew as a way of saying "Payback's a beyotch!"
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6238/insane7zocn2.jpg