The Battle of Fredericksburg : "The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought December 11-15, 1862, was one of the largest and deadliest of the Civil War. It featured the first major opposed river crossing in American military history. Union and Confederate troops fought in the streets of Fredericksburg, the Civil War’s first urban combat. And with nearly 200,000 combatants, no other Civil War battle featured a larger concentration of soldiers."
Below, the stone wall that no Yankee ever reached until 2nd Fredericksburg the following year. Beyond this wall the field was carpeted with the prone blue forms of Union dead and wounded .
TD regrets the links formerly in this spot are no longer active. Let's hope these will be sufficient for you:
From "God's and Generals": The 20th Maine charges the stone wall You may want your speakers turned down-it's kind of a rock video. I'm just sayin'.
Then and now photos of the Union approaches to the stone wall: Sad to see how so much hallowed ground was covered by development.
Go here for a more detailed Battle account; Maps of the theater here.
Many NPS links here: Virtual Tour of Fredericksburg Battlefield
"The Fredericksburg Battlefield driving tour consists of six stops. There are also links to battle sites not on the tour route as well as additional information on touring Fredericksburg Battlefield and learning about the battle."
Turn your speakers on. Civil war enthusiasts, turn 'em way, way up and also notice the controls at the bottom of the map frame that you can use. Keep your eye on the narrative at the bottom center describing each event of the battle as it occurs. (Requires Adobe Shockwave)
Updates follow:
"After the disastrous battle at Fredericksburg Burnside was replaced by Joseph Hooker. Burnside was put in charge of the Army of Ohio in March, 1863 and succeeded in capturing Morgan's Raiders and performed well at the siege of Knoxville."
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Burnside's replacement: Gen. Joe Hooker and another disaster. "After three months of Burnside, Lincoln decided to give overall command to Hooker. Aware of behind the scenes maneuvering while Burnside was in command and statements made by Hooker about the "country needing a dictator," the President wrote a famous letter to Hooker"... "in which he stated which candidly discusses Hooker's strengths and weaknesses. Although Hooker failed to deliver the results Lincoln expected he was touched by the letter's tone. He told reporter Noah Brooks "That is just such a letter as a father might write to his son. It is a beautiful letter, and, although I think he was harder on me than I deserved, I will say that I love the man who wrote it."
Lincoln said of Hooker's bombast and promises, "The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation because she never cackles until after the egg has been laid."
Lincoln said of Hooker's bombast and promises, "The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation because she never cackles until after the egg has been laid."
2 comments:
Excellent article, Bill!
A damn shame the Union troops didn't shoot that idiot Joe Hooker, the so-called "general" who ordered the suicide charges at Marys Heights!
During the Vietnam War the soldiers weren't so forgiving of commanders too stupid to order simple flanking movements that brings the maximum force against the weakest part of the enemy line: The officer who ordered the seven suicide charges up Hamburger Hill in 1969 was assassinated later by his troops.
A lesson will learned by military officers post-Vietnam War.
CORRECTIONS:
Burnside was in command of the Union troops attacking Maryes Heights and should have been executed by own soldiers for what was tantamount to murder.
However, Joe Hooker should have been hanged by Lincoln for treason when he declared himself candidate for the American Caesar.
Joe Hooker was punished for all time by having female Army of The Potomac camp followers renamed "Hookers" by the troops under his command, who also made a half serious attempt to trade Joe Hooker to the Confederates pickets for their most stupid mule.
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