Fredericksburg Battle Analysis Essay

The Battle of Fredericksburg Analysis

Introduction

The Union forces suffered one their most significant defeats of the Civil War at the Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 December 1862. The Union army was pushing towards Richmond, Virginia when they were met with a Confederate defensive stand while attempting to cross the Rappahannock River and the subsequent charges towards the Confederate positions. The first three steps of the Battle Analysis process will be covered briefly in this analysis along with an assessment of the significant actions taken. The Union Army was rendered ineffective due to several flaws in the leadership. Poor utilization of available intelligence methods, poor communication between leaders, minimal terrain analysis, and failure to plan for enemy courses of action all contributed greatly to the Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Define the Subject, Set the Stage, and Describe the Action Approximately 200,000 soldiers combined took part at the Battle of

After the Union Army successfully took Falmouth, General Lee anticipated their next course of action would be to take Fredericksburg. General Lee had the troops moved from Culpepper and Winchester and reassembled on the high ground surrounding Fredericksburg (Yandoh, 2001). Knowledge of the area put General Lee’s forces at an advantage, as they took the high ground along Marye’s Heights. A defensive posture provided the best fields of fire and cover and concealment, which proved to be a severe disadvantage for Union forces. Weather was a factor for both sides because snowfall restricted travel and pre-dawn fog in the early morning obscured vision (Franklin, 1998). Neither side had an advantage do to the poor