battle brief : battle of fredericksburg

Battle Brief: Battle of Fredericksburg

Contributors: Brian Gould, Aron Garza

Battle Background:

    The battle of Fredericksburg was fought from December 11-15 in 1862. Fredericksburg, Virginia is located in the northern part of Virginia. The Civil war was in full swing, and each battle was decisive and the outcomes were lasting. the battle had more soldiers involved than in any other battle in the war, as 120,000 Union soldiers battled 80,000 Confederates. The confederates and Union both desperately needed a win. This was also the first battle of the new commander of the US army of the Potomac Ambrose Burnside was a newly selected commander and was eager to show his confidence. The Confederates were still reeling from their defeat at Antietam and a win would greatly improve their morale.

Military Leadership:

  

Major General Ambrose Burnside        General Robert E. Lee of the

of the US Army of the Potomac            Confederate army

These were the two major leaders of the Battle. There were also other important leaders for both sides present, such as Major General Edward V. Sumner, Major General Joseph Hooker, and Major General William B. Franklin were all leaders present for the Union. The Confederates also had many big leaders present such as Lt. General Stonewall Jackson, Lt. General James Longstreet, and Major General J.E.B Stuart.

Plan and Objectives:

The keys objective for most of the civil war was to penetrate the southern army and seize the city of Richmond, Virginia the capital of the confederacy army. To seize the city the union troops had to cross the Rapprochement River. Under the leadership of general Ambrose Burnside the union army attack on November of 1863. Cross the river and attack general Robert E lee’s army the confederate army and advance 35 mails to Richmond. Burnside plan did not work because the battle introduce obstacle that his army never encountered before.

Execution:

The Battle of Fredericksburg was a crushing defeat for the Union, whose soldiers fought courageously and well but fell victim to mismanagement by their generals, including confused orders from Burnside to Franklin. Burnside accepted responsibility for the defeat, though many blamed Lincoln for pressuring him to go ahead with an impossible offensive. In the rush of political recriminations that followed, a majority of Republican senators voted to remove Secretary of State William Seward, who had become the primary target for their frustrations over the administration’s conduct of the war.

Results: 

The Battle resulted in a terrible defeat for the Union. General Burnside accepted blame for the loss as miscommunication, as well as being rushed into action. Burnside would be replaced as commander of the Army of the Potomac in the coming months. The Union suffered 13,00 casualties, while the confederates lost only 5,000 men. The win for the confederates also gave them a big morale boost, as the army was still hurting from a defeat at Maryland the fall before.

Sources:

American Military History Volume I

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fredericksburg.html

http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-fredericksburg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fredericksburg

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/lincolns-fredericksburg/