Fredericksburg_BL3




by: Andrew Herr

1. The name of battle was the Battle at Fredericksburg I.

2. The Dates in which the battle took place were December 11-15, 1862.

3. The Locations of battle were Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg.

4. The officers in charge were Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside for the Union, and Gen. Robert E. Lee for the Confederates.

5. The number of troops present at the battle were 172,504 total (US 100,007; CS 72,497).

6. Maj. Gen. Burnside took command of the Union Army, and he sent Union soldiers to Falmouth, which was close in proximity to Fredericksburg. General Lee, however, had time to set his troops up the way he wanted. Lee set his troops on the hills behind the town. Maj. Gen. Burnside’s plan was to build a pontoon bridge that stretched across the Rappahannock River, but his plan was delayed because the supplies that he ordered arrived late. The Confederate Army just stayed where they were on the top of the hills, and they waited for the Union Soldiers. The Union knew that the Confederate Army was occupying Fredericksburg because while they were busy constructing the pontoon bridge the Confederate snipers were picking the engineers off. The pontoon bridge was complete, and the Union Army crossed into Fredericksburg.

The Confederate Army stayed in the cover that they had in the hills. Maj. Gen. Burnside ordered that the Union troops to an assault on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights. The assault was head on to where the Confederate troops were positioned. The Confederate Soldiers picked off Union soldiers pretty easily which resulted in major causalities. Maj. Gen. Meade led Confederate soldiers to try to flank the Union troops, but they were eventually driven back. Generals from both sides died during this battle. The Union generals that died were C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and the Confederate generals were Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg. Maj. Gen. Burnside called off the attack, and he ordered all the Union troops over the pontoon bridge again.

7. The largest turning point in the battle was when the supplies that Maj. Gen. Burnside ordered arrived late. The supplies were for a pontoon bride that would allow the Union Army to cross the Rappahannock River. Since the supplies came late it gave General Lee time to position his men which eventually led to the defeat of the Union Army at Fredericksburg.

8. The outcome of the battle was a Confederate victory. General Burnside ordered his troops to cross over the pontoon bridge again. The Confederates won by having solid cover, and the Confederates were able to easily pick off Union soldiers because Maj. Gen. Burnside ordered assaults that led the Union troops right into the Confederate troops head on.

9. The estimated number of casualties was 17,929 total (US 13,353; CS 4,576).

10. The impact of this battle was very significant. This battle affected the Union  badly. The Union soldier’s moral was really low, and they really didn’t think that they could win anymore. They thought that they had no chance of winning, and they really weren’t into it anymore. The Confederates on the other hand had huge confidence going forward. They thought that they were indestructible. They were very confident and a little bit to cocky. The Confederates now thought that they could easily win the war.











Sources: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fredericksburg.htm http://www.scps.virginia.edu/travelandlearn/CivilWar/war2002.html http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/va028.htm [|http://www.nps.gov/frsp/fredh]