Fredericksburg: Animated Battle Map

[Music] in the fall of 1862 the patience of President Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet had come to an end it had been several months since the Battle of Antietam and yet Major General George McClellan and the Army of the Potomac had yet to press their advantage against the retreating army of Northern Virginia under Robert Ely on November 7th 1862 Lincoln removed the popular McClellan and replaced him with Major General Ambrose Burnside Burnside's promotion came with the strong admonition for decisive action after crossing the Potomac into Virginia Confederate commander General Robert Ely divided his forces spreading Lieutenant General Thomas Stonewall Jackson's command across the lower Shenandoah Valley and placing Lieutenant General James Longstreet forces in Culpepper this division greatly influenced Burnside's next move despite great pressure from Washington to carry out McClellan's operation plan Burnside quickly abandoned that approach jackson's presence in the valley left his flank exposed and the alexandria in orange railroad was ill-suited to his large armies logistic needs Burnside's new plan was to move the Army of the Potomac to Fredericksburg and then south to Richmond not only would this provide Burnside with a superior railroad to feed his army but it would also allow him to protect Washington as he moved south Burnside's new plan relied upon speed and deception his army would feign a movement towards Culpepper courthouse and then quickly marched to Fredericksburg to cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg and continue south Burnside would need pontoon bridges Burnside telegraphed the War Department requested the pontoons that were currently on the Potomac River above Washington to be sent to Fredericksburg on November 15th the Army of the Potomac pulled out of its camps and headed toward Fredericksburg timely availability of the pontoon bridges was essential to the Union plan on November 12th the pontoon boats left Berlin Marilyn and headed towards Fredericksburg the Army of the Potomac began its march to Fredericksburg on November 15th the Confederates unsure of Burnside's intentions remained in place with Burnside's army now a massing opposite Fredericksburg the critical pontoons were nowhere to be found administrative confusion and terrible weather had combined to slow the arrival of the river bridges Burnside's army would have to wait and wait November 18th Longstreet's Confederates departed Culpepper and began their march to Fredericksburg by the 21st of November Confederates under general Stonewall Jackson moved out of the Shannon to a valley in route to Fredericksburg as Longstreet arrived on the outskirts of Fredericksburg and deployed on the heights west of town still without the missing pontoons Burnside's army of 137,000 would sit idle across the Rappahannock while 4,000 Confederates began to prepare their defensive positions on November 27th ten days behind schedule the pontoons finally arrived Burnside's delays would allow time for stonewall jackson's second Corps to reach Fredericksburg and by December 1st double the number of troops that would oppose the Union attack with all semblance of surprise now lost on December 9th Burnside issued new orders rather than flank the Confederate forces Burnside would use his superior numbers to drive to the city of Fredericksburg itself Burnside's planned called for the army to cross the Rappahannock River at 3 places throughout the evening of December 10th the Union Army prepared to cross the Rappahannock and assault Fredericksburg before the Army of the Potomac lay Fredericksburg Virginia a colonial town once the home of George Washington James Monroe and John Paul Jones unfortunately for its 5,000 residents Fredericksburg was about to be plunged into the terrible storm of battle with more than 200,000 Union and Confederate soldiers massed on their doorsteps most of the inhabitants of Fredericksburg would abandon their homes before the battle shortly after midnight engineering units of the Army of the Potomac under cover of darkness and fog would slide their pontoons down to the three river crossings in the town Brigadier General William Barksdale's 1,800 Mississippians readied for the Union assault his troops were to simply delay the union movement and then returned to the Confederate lines but Barksdale had other ideas with Don now approaching and the sounds of bridge construction now clear to all Barksdale's command opens fire on the Union engineers on the river for several hours the exposed Union engineers would try to complete their bridges but the accurate rifle fire from the city was just too much beginning at 9:00 a.m. the Army of the Potomac would use its 183 cannon to pound the city of Fredericksburg despite this massive firepower Barksdale's marksmen would stop the Union bridge builders time after time Fredericksburg itself would bear the brunt of the Union artillery x' barrage by the end of the day a good portion of the city would be laid to waste Burnside recognizing that a new plan was needed ordered troops from the 7th Michigan and 89th New York to use pontoon boats to secure the other side of the river the first opposed river crossing in American military history as a result of the successful Union river crossing by 5:00 p.m. Burnside's engineers would finally finish the bridges meanwhile Barksdale's small command rather than return to the safety of the Confederate lines had decided to put up a fight from the cellars narrow alleys and brick lined homes the upcoming fight would become the first major urban combat of the Civil War for fifteen hours Barksdale and his Mississippians would doggedly defend the streets of Fredericksburg despite the frightful toll the growing numbers of Union troops would eventually force Barksdale and his survivors out of town throughout the evening of December 11th and the morning of the 12th federal troops in Fredericksburg would begin to sack this once-proud town despite orders to stop federal troops would accelerate their looting of the homes and businesses on the 12th at sunrise on December 12 Burnside pushed his army across the three pontoon bridges and into their positions for the upcoming attack robert e lee used this time to solidify his defensive lines in the heights above the town Burnside solidified his plan of attack issuing written orders to subordinates Sumner and his right grand division would pin the Confederate right while Franklin's left Grand Division would smash and roll up the Confederate left despite the simplicity of the Union plan Burnside's written orders would be far from clear Union right Grand division commander Major General Edwin Sumner received his orders from Burnside his forces were to advance from the town up to the heights above Fredericksburg from there he would pin the Confederates while Franklin's forces to the south rolled up the rebel army at 10:00 a.m. the distant boom of Pelham's guns echoing up from the south Sumner knew it was time to advance his first move would be to order Major General couch and the second Corps forward to Marie's Heights couch ordered brigadier general blinky French to take Marie's Heights French advanced his division out of Fredericksburg due to the constricted area to attack French had to engage his three brigades one at a time first in line was Brigadier General Nathan Kimball facing the Federals was Brigadier General Thomas Cobbs georgians of Longstreet's Corps above Cobbs troops were the well positioned batteries of the famed Washington artillery the Confederate guns would command the entire Fredericksburg plain to their front Longstreet's artillery chief would assure him that a chicken could not live on that field when we Oh on it with French's attack now stopped Brigadier General Winfield Scott Hancock division pushed forward again one brigade at a time after zukes brigade met a similar fate an Coxon and his famed irish brigade brigadier general thomas meager whose troops had placed fresh boughs of boxwood in their hat bands stormed past the human remains of the previous attacks the pattern of Union attack would scarcely change couch kept up the pressure with grim determination he pushed oh oh Howard's division forward the rebels stacked three deep behind the Stonewall would drive back attack after attack for two hours the Confederate troops would blaze at the Union forces Howard's troops would bear no better versus the impenetrable Confederate defenses troops under general Orland Wilcox now enter the fight brigadier general Samuel strug's division was moved forward to support Howard despite the apparent slaughter the union plan demanded the pressure on the Confederate left be kept up Burnside and Sumner would continue to feed ever more Union troops into the Maelstrom Brigadier General Charles Griffin's division crossed the pontoons and hurried into the battle after Griffin's attack ground to a stop Burnside was still convinced the rebels would attack he orders brigadier general Andrew a Humphreys Greene division into the battle leading his men into battle on horseback Humphreys described himself feeling like a young girl of sixteen at her first ball unfortunately Humphreys attacked like all the rest would fail with the Sun beginning to set Burnside was still convinced that ultimate victory was still within his grasp maybe one more assault would break the Confederate line with that in mind Colonel rush Hawkins Brigade was sent forward it would be the final assault of the day over the preceding six hours the right Grand division had bludgeoned itself in front of the Stonewall 7,500 of its dead and wounded soldiers littered the ground before Marie's Heights on the other side of the wall the Southern Command was beginning to understand the magnitude of their lopsided victory 5,000 determined rebels had held back an entire army their 1000 casualties would pale in comparison to the federal toll as the sound of battle faded a new more horrifying sound filled the night air the cries of the wounded dying trapped between the two lines the mournful pleas were just too much for Richard Kirkland a soldier from South Carolina to take risking his own life Kirkland would bound over the Stonewall in search of those to help the angel of Marie's Heights would be cheered by both sides as he brought water to the wounded and dying Federals as December 13th dawn a fog lay low over the battlefield through the morning the Confederates would listen to the sound of the Union Army moving into position it was not until 10:00 a.m. that the morning fog lifted the Confederate command could see the full strength of the Union Army before them the chief of the Stuart Horse Artillery Major John Pelham begged to advance one of his guns ahead of the line to flank the Yankees quietly his crew unlimbered their gun and what would become known as Pelham's corner when Pelham was satisfied with his position he gave the order to fire it is now 10:00 a.m. and the battle has begun while observing the fight from Prospect Hill General Lee remarked it is glorious to see such courage in one so young in his after-action report Lee referred to the young artillerist without rank but only as the gallant Pelham for nearly an hour Palin's gun danced around the intersection dodging Union shells though briefly joined by another gun Pelham's lone gun delayed an entire core and prematurely revealed the union's plan Pelham's actions also effectively take Union General Abner Doubleday x' division out of the coming assault at 1:00 a.m. Pelham out of ammunition retire back to the Confederate lines near Hamilton's crossing after readjusting his lines Major General John Reynolds ordered his chief of artillery Colonel Charles Wainwright to shell to the Confederate position on the heights to his front for one hour the Union artillery from both sides of the Rappahannock River pummeled the Confederates Jackson's own artillery eager to respond was held back so as to save his guns for the coming infantry assault at noon Wainwright would silence his guns and inform Reynolds that the assault should now proceed unknown to Wainright Reynolds and the Federals the Union barrage had done little damage to Stonewall Jackson's command after deciding that the Confederate line had been softened up Reynolds orders General George Meade's and John Gibbons division to move forward general Abner Doubleday 6,000 man division is ordered to guard the flank which had been threatened by Pelham's lone gun with Mead and Givens men now advancing no response is received from the Confederate line only once the Federals reach a point 800 yards from the southern line is Jackson respond with all is massed artillery the sudden and ferocious artillery barrage sin Mead and given back to their line clearly the Confederates are far from softened up at 1:00 p.m. Meads division renews the attack as fate would have it the Confederates had a gap in their line a swampy area that was considered impassable and Meade's division headed straight for the unseen vulnerability need breaks through the gap in the Confederate line and begins to roll up the Confederates to stabilize his threaten line Jackson orders his deep reserves forward to counter-attack Meade's unsupported troops the attack on Meade succeeds and the Union forces are driven back colonel Edmund a constancy Oranje Brigade follows the broken Union lines beyond the railroad embankment as Meade's broken troops make their way to the Union rear Confederates under General Edward Thomas and James Lane counter-attack general Gibbons forces along the railroad embankment Gibbons command like Meade's is unsupported and is overcome by the Confederate attack for the next hour Jackson readjusted his line in hope of baiting the Federal Army in making another attack after that failed he decided he would attack himself but a combination of the deepening darkness and the strength of the Union artillery persuaded Jackson that an attack now would be folly the fighting at Prospect Hill and the slaughter pen farm would come to a close at nightfall for the next two days December 14th and 16th the Confederates expected the northerners to renew their attacks but under the cover of darkness and rain Burnside slipped his army back across the Rappahannock River in the Battle of Fredericksburg was over [Music] you

Channel: American Battlefield Trust

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Keywords: American Battlefield Trust, Civil War Trust, Battle of Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg 1862, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Ambrose Burnside, Civil War Trust Animated Map, historic fredericksburg

Id: nJodzkWBjDk

Length: 17min 38sec (1058 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 13 2019