Conflict: American Civil War
Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals
Location: Virginia (USA)
Outcome: Confederate victory
Intent on seizing Richmond, the capitol of the Confederacy, Federal troops under new commander Ambrose Burnside launched a two-pronged assault on the town of Fredericksburg. The attacks were initially successful, but artillery and counterattacks rebuffed both the north and south wings of the offensive. The Federals suffered over 12,000 casualties; Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia lost less than half as many. Burnside was relieved of command the following month.
Points of Interest:
The Federal army spent two days establishing a pontoon bridge across the Rappahannock River, thus allowing Lee to gather and entrench his troops.
Burnside was replaced by Joseph Hooker as commander.
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Sources:
Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.
Catton, Bruce (1955). This Hallowed Ground. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc.
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Hogue, James M. & McPherson, James M. (2009). Ordeal By Fire. New York: MaGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.
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