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Battle of Fredericksburg - Who Won, Timeline & Location | HISTORY

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The Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, involved nearly 200,000 combatants and is remembered as one of the most significant Confederate victories. The battle, which took place in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, involved the largest concentration of troops in any Civil War battle.

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The Union came into this battle with 123,000 men and the Confederates came with 78,000.

The total casualties in this battle were 18,500.
—Union 13,000 confederates 6,000

The battle ended with Burnside calling of attacks and retreated back to the river.

The results of this battle made the moral of the Union go down astronomically, but gave new energy to the confederates.

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Turn back the Unions assault
Stay on the high position atop of Marye's Heights.

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Cross Rappahannock River make a two-pronged attack on the right and left flanks of the confederates army.

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Battle of Fredericksburg | Facts, Casualties, & Aftermath

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Battle of Fredericksburg, clash between Union and Confederate forces on December 11–15, 1862, during the American Civil War. The Union troops, despite outnumbering the Confederates, suffered a crushing defeat. It was one of the largest battles of the Civil War in terms of troops involved.

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Battle of Fredericksburg: Eyewitness Account | Eyewitness Account/Official Report

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The confederates won this battle. In this battle the confederates came with less men (45,000 less) and were still able to take down 13,000 men due to their high ground. The men that the confederates lost was not even half the amount the union lost.

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Before the Battle

Leaving the Warrenton area on November 15, Burnside moves his 100,000-man army 35 miles to Falmouth on the north bank of the Rappahannock in just two days. Opposite Falmouth is the river port town of Fredericksburg, occupied by only a few hundred Confederates. Located halfway between Richmond and Washington D.C., Fredericksburg has largely escaped the ravages of the war. The bridges across the river there have been destroyed earlier, however, so Burnside orders portable pontoon bridges to be sent forward to his army. Arriving in Falmouth, Burnside discovers that bureaucratic and logistical tie-ups in Washington have delayed the bridges and his carefully devised plan to surprise Lee is in jeopardy.

While Burnside waits for his bridges, Lee gathers his army. Gen. James Longstreet's wing moves east from Culpeper, and Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson 's men hurry toward the Rappahannock from the Shenandoah Valley. Longstreet takes up a position on Marye's Heights, overlooking Fredericksburg from the west. To the south, Jackson's men are entrenched in a line stretching over Prospect Hill and onto Hamilton's Crossing, four miles from the town.

On November 25, Burnside's long-awaited pontoon bridges begin to arrive.

During the Battle

December 11. An engineer regiment begins to assemble the pontoon bridges opposite the town in the foggy pre-dawn hours. Confederate riflemen, hiding in buildings along the riverbank, harass the engineers and slow their work. Senior Union commanders confer as the bridging process grinds to a halt. Burnside approves a plan to shell the town and drive out the Confederate snipers. Late that morning, over 150 Federal guns arrayed on Stafford Heights bombard the Fredericksburg, blasting scores of buildings and terrifying the civilians, many of whom cower in their cellars. After four hours of shelling, the engineers return to their bridgework and the riflemen resume their shooting.

Another option is desperately needed. Burnside meets with his officers and approves a plan to send a landing party across the river to hunt down the Confederate snipers and secure a bridgehead in the town. Colonel Norman Hall, a brigade commander in the nearby Second Corps, volunteers his brigade to row across the river. Under fire, regiments from Michigan and Massachusetts successfully cross the Rappahannock and drive the riflemen from the riverbank. More Union regiments follow across the river, and the Confederates withdraw after a few hours of house-to-house fighting in the street of town.

December 12. The remainder of Burnside's army crosses the river and occupies Fredericksburg. His strategy is to use the nearly 60,000 men in Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin 's Left Grand Division to crush Lee's southern flank held by Jackson, while the rest of his army holds Longstreet in position on Marye's Heights and supports Franklin if needed.

December 13. The Union main assault against Jackson produces initial success. In an area later known as the Slaughter Pen, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade 's division briefly pierces Jackson's line and threatens the Confederate right. However, lack of coordinated reinforcements and Jackson's powerful counterattack stymie the effort. Both sides suffer heavy losses with no gain on either side.

Burnside's "diversion" against Longstreet's veteran Confederate soldiers produce horrific Union casualties. The front of Longstreet's position is a sunken farm lane at the foot of Marye's Heights, full of Confederates three ranks deep. Wave after wave of Federal soldiers advance over open ground to take the road, but each is met with devastating rifle and artillery fire from the nearly impregnable Confederate position. Confederate artillerist Edward Porter Alexander 's claim that "a chicken could not live on that field" proves to be prophetic. Lee, appalled by the carnage, remarks, "It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it."

December 14. That evening, as darkness falls on the battlefield strewn with dead and wounded, it is clear that a Confederate victory is at hand.

December 15. Burnside retreats across the Rappahannock, ending the campaign of 1862 in the Eastern Theater.

Aftermath

After the battle, the Federals withdraw across the Rappahannock to avoid being trapped, relinquishing the gains they made. The embarrassing and crushing Union defeat sparks recriminations in Washington, causing a crisis among members of Lincoln's cabinet, which the president deftly remedies. Six weeks after the battle, Lincoln removes Burnside from command and appoints Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker commander of the Army of the Potomac.

For the Confederates, the victory at Fredericksburg boosts morale and reinvigorates Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, which goes on to triumph again at Chancellorsville in May 1863.

The war continues for two-and-a-half more years.

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Our Battle of Fredericksburg page includes history articles, battle maps, expert videos, photos, and recommended web links for this important 1862 Civil War battle in Virginia. Check out our animated battle map for Fredericksburg.

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Robert E. Lee

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General Ambrose Burnside