149 Years ago: The Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. (BAD LINKS REPLACED)

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 .

http://usa-civil-war.com/Fredericksburg/fdksbg_2.html

TD regrets the links formerly in this spot are no longer active. Let's hope these will be sufficient for you:

NPS: Sunken Road/Stone Wall Sector of Fredericksburg Battlefield

Sunken Road Walking Trail

Tourist's account of the battlefield tour

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'. 

 Here's a scene featuring the Irish Brigade in "Gods and Generals".

The Angel of the Battlefield;   

Cycling through Civil War history ,

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."

Dramatic and excellent: Animated timeline map of 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:

The Union Commander, General Ambrose Burnside "Burnside took part in the battle at Antietam (September, 1862) and afterwards President Abraham Lincoln asked him to replace George McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac. After the complaints that had been made by President Abraham Lincoln and the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, about the inaction of the Union Army, Burnside was determined to immediately launch an attack on the Confederate Army.....

 "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."



Hooker



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."

The Battle of Fredericksburg

 

Union view of the objective before this field was covered with bodies.

Franklin's men charging across the railroad - Battle of Fredericksburg - Wikipedia

Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg | Facts, Casualties, & Aftermath | Britannica

. . . "The political consequences of the Union loss were great in the North. Many blamed Lincoln, claiming that he had allowed Burnside to embark on an offensive that was inevitably going to fail. Others criticized the competence of Lincoln’s cabinet choices. This resulted in a majority of Republican senators voting for the removal of Secretary of State William Seward—the chosen scapegoat for the battle’s administrative blunders. Seward, despite the attacks, retained his position. The senators also pushed for Lincoln to reorganize his cabinet, something Lincoln refused to do. After another failed offensive (later called the Mud March) in January, Lincoln relieved Burnside of his position and appointed Joseph Hooker as the commander of the Army of the Potomac.". . . 

Many 2011 posts from the Tunnel Wall: Search results for battle of Fredericksburg; 1 of 8

U. S. Civil War Photographs - Fredericksburg Eight pages.

The Irish Brigade in the American Civil War, 1861-1865

The Tunnel Wall

. . . " He was protesting the inadequate and ineffective response of the British government to the potato famine in Ireland [1845-1850] where approximately one million Irish-British subjects starved to death and approximately another two million emigrated in coffin ships to Australia, Canada and the United States. Corcoran was relieved of command and court-martial proceedings were instituted. The charges were dropped when the 69th New York State Militia responded to President Lincoln’s call to defend Washington City. " . . .

The Irish Brigade at Gettysburg

What can we contribute to St Patrick's Day?

The Unspoken Ghosts of Irish-Americans
"Ireland had no defense forces until about 1913, so its people were captured and enslaved by many nations over the years. They endured more oppression than American blacks and suffered living conditions not unlike Jews of the Holocaust. But harboring grudges against ghosts of heritages past was not a mainstay for Irish Americans*. They had more important things to do. We know so little of our Irish’s torturous past because of their impressive will to live beyond victimization rather than living in it. America’s Irish are prime examples of sheer determination turning adversity into stepping stones of a better life."
. . . 
 "Throughout the 1600-1700s the Irish settled in Early American colonies and by the 1860s they were among America’s greatest Civil War heroes, renowned for their bravery and leadership. Their competence, patriotic enthusiasm and ingrained confidence in overcoming obstacles helped to diminish some of the religious bigotry against them in a predominantly Protestant America. 

Animated map of the Battle of Fredericksburg

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 .

The Irish Brigade at Gettysburg

Gettysburg Daily "... the “Prince of Wales” flag which clearly and unambiguously refers to October 11, 1860 which is the date when the 18 year old Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, later King Edward VII, visited New York City. The upper red riband on that flag reads, “PRESENTED TO THE 69TH REGIMENT.” The lower red riband reads, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 11TH OCT. 1860.” The 69th New York State Militia was ordered to march in a parade in his honor. Colonel Corcoran refused. He was protesting the inadequate and ineffective response of the British government to the potato famine in Ireland [1845-1850] where approximately one million Irish-British subjects starved to death and approximately another two million emigrated in coffin ships to Australia, Canada and the United States. Corcoran was relieved of command and court-martial proceedings were instituted. The charges were dropped when the 69th New York State Militia responded to President Lincoln’s call to defend Washington City. The painting of the Prince of Wales Flag is courtesy of artist Erik Chipchase at mercenarygraphics.com. His e-mail address is echipchase@mercenary graphics.com.

This painting by Don Troiani is titled New York’s Bravest. It is courtesy of www.historicalimagebank.com. 

(Below) Licensed Battlefield Guide John Fitzpatrick is pointing to the William Patterson House located on the east side of the Taneytown Road. The Irish Brigade marched along the Taneytown Road from south to north (right to left) as they prepared to take position along Cemetery Ridge. http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=10931

Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher “Of the Sword” was born in 1823 in Waterford, Ireland into a family with a successful shipping business. An educated, independent thinking, passionate orator and firm admirer of the American and French Revolutions, he had hoped to bridge the “Catholic” vs. “Protestant” divide in a common goal of uniting all Ireland as citizens and free men with their own indigenous non-denominational Parliament. He earned his sobriquet in 1846 when he argued that at some point only armed revolt might achieve political change. He firmly declared to the crowd; “Abhor the sword? Stigmatize the sword? No, my lord…” three times including passionate references to the American Revolution and the Battle of Fontenoy* in the War of Austrian Succession in 1745. He joined the “Young Ireland” movement and participated in the failed revolt of 1848. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to execution but the public outcry lead to a sentence of life imprisonment on Van Diemen’s island near the southeastern coast of Australia. He escaped, made his way to New York, became a lawyer, orator and joined the 69th NYSM. He participated in the Battle of Bull Run and personally recruited the 69th, 88th and 63rd NY Volunteer Infantry Regiments. On February 5, 1862 he was appointed Brigadier General. Immediately prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, the 28th Massachusetts and 116th Pennsylvania Regiments were added to the “Irish Brigade” in the Army of the Potomac. Meagher commanded the Brigade through the Peninsula, the Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. When his requests for leave and the opportunity to recruit replacements for the depleted Brigade were denied, he resigned on May 8, 1862. He is the reason that the Irish Brigade was armed with the Springfield, Model 1842, smooth bore, .69 calibre “buck and ball” musket at the Battle of Gettysburg (except for the 28th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment which carried the Enfield .577 caliber rifle musket). 


*Fontenoy is a legendary battle that figures in the story of the "Wild Geese" or "Exiles of Hope" -- approximately 12000 Irish warriors under General Patrick Sarsfield who despaired of their own, and Ireland's future in the aftermath of the Elizabethan conquest of Ulster. 

.... On Fontenoy, on Fontenoy, like eagles in the sun,With bloody plumes the Irish stand -- the field is fought and won!"  Hence, the Irish battle cry "Remember Ireland and Fontenoy!"

ANTIETAM: Texas Counterattack at Antietam

HISTORICAL FILMS

"I cannot imagine a better reenactment, or better narration than this. Like many Virginians, I had family in that battle, fortunately not at the corn field, and I imagine the Battle of Sharpsburg and the other battles of the war looked just like this."

Antietam Gallery; Jeremy Scott

 "Filmed in the actual Miller cornfield after the producers planted period-appropriate, checkrow pattern corn there in order to get the visual aspects of this story just right. Historian Gordon Rhea, David Finney, and James I. “Bud” Robertson take you through that field with the men of the 1st Texas Infantry, where they sustained exactly the same casualty figures as the men of the Alamo in 1836.

"We’ve included the full segment of the Texas counterattack in Miller’s cornfield. This is the director’s favorite scene, and it was captured by his 2nd unit director, the Civil War painter Dan Nance, in artistic style. We are currently working on Volume Two of the mini-series. Please support this effort by subscribing to this channel, and visit our website at www.historicalfilms.org. Every purchase there supports the completion of this unique project – the most in depth study of the Battle of Antietam. Thank you."

The Bloody Lane, byJeremy Scott

"Antietam Battlefield is one of my favorite Civil War hallowed grounds to visit. It is easy access off of I-70 to the sleepy little hamlet of Sharpsburg Md just on the other side of the Potomac River from Sheperdstown(oldest town)WV. The town is very similar to its original appearance back 162 years ago. Unlike Gettysburg which is so commercialized it looks like Branson Missouri this national treasure still exudes its original humble grandeur. Having been to Vicksburg, Lookout Mtn, Mansfield La, Bentonville NC and Phillipi WV(first land battle), Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Appomattox Courthouse theres few sites I havent seen. For any students of the Civil War who havent made it to Antietam Creek, do so! You wont be disappointed! Harper's Ferry is also less than a hour away."

Antietam Battle Facts and Summary | American Battlefield Trust

"Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle in American military history, showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern theater. It also gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at a moment of strength rather than desperation.

How it ended

"Inconclusive. General Robert E. Lee committed his entire force to the battle, while [the timid] Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan sent in less than three quarters of his. With the full commitment of McClellan’s troops, which outnumbered the Confederates two to one, the battle might have had a more definitive outcome. Instead, McClellan’s half-hearted approach allowed Lee to hold ground by shifting forces from threat to threat." . . .

Antietam: Animated Battle Map At 16:30 is the Texans attack that interrupted their meal.

150th Anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg

Did you know that you can get an app to help you tour the battlefield? The Civil War Trust has this on Fredericksburg and other battlefields.  More on maps and apps:
Apps for other battlefields.  Maps of battlefields.

Other links from the Civil War Trust
See the battlefield. "Wander the battlefield digitally and explore clickable details." This downloaded a bit slowly on my old laptop.

The Tunnel Wall posted this on the battle one year ago.  Be sure to run the interactive map with details and time lines running throughout the animation. Numerous other links on the battle, the officers, and the battlefield, then and now.

Commemoration booklet to show you what we missed at the occasion (pdf)  Some events are still going on at this time.

California-approved gun safe (Updated)

California Approved Handgun Safe

From Coiled Snake.com 
 Hat tip to Harley Standlee; Placerville, Ca

More along these same lines here:
Ann Coulter comments on the book, Negroes with guns. Written back when Democrats refused to allow blacks to own guns for protection against - as she says- Democrat organizations such as the KKK.


Other posts in the Tunnel Wall include the D-Day landings in Normandy  and the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. But mostly we post on politics and culture in the United States. 
Our links to history sites come from appreciation of America and how we became a nation in spite of - and sometimes because of - all our historical blemishes and triumphs. Some of it is due to sad reminiscences of where we once were and what is now becoming of us.
The Tunnel Dweller.


Meanwhile, check out the Texas Tan Line: