The Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg falls in a long list of failures of the Army of the Potomac during the first year of the American Civil War. Following the Battle of Antietam the Northern Army had the opportunity to defeat Lee’s army. However, Northerners, were shocked by Lee’s escape following this battle on 17 September 1862, and were further upset by Major General George B. McClellan’s procrastination in pursuing Lee and allowing General J.E.B. Stuarts daring cavalry raid into Pennsylvania around Gettysburg (10-12 October 1862). McClellan’s failure to pursue Lee’s Army is mainly due to his own lack of confidence, believing that he doesn’t have enough men or material in order to defeat the Army of Virginia. President Lincoln had finally had enough; he fired McClellan for the second and final time, and replaced him with Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, whom he had initially offered the job. No military officer in the Civil War resisted promotion more assiduously than did Major General Burnside during 1862. On three separate occasions that year, President Lincoln asked Burnside to assume command of the Army of the Potomac, and each time the general demurred on the grounds that he was not competent to handle such a large force. Once General Burnside took command he immediately set forth after General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

History

Fredericksburg lays approximately half way between Washington D.C. and the capital of the Confederacy Richmond Virginia. Burnsides plan called for departing Maryland and crossing the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, thus providing a straight shot towards Richmond, believing that this was the ultimate goal of his army. Lincoln favored this so-called covering approach to attackin...

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....” The other Lieutenant Colonel Joseph H. Taylor stated, “The carrying out of your plan will be murder, not warfare.” None of this input from subordinates could deter Major General Burnside from continuing with his plan because that is what the President wanted. Thus ensuring defeat!

Works Cited

Bowen, John, The History and Battlefields of the Civil War, Quintet Publishing Ltd, 1991.

Goolrick, William K., Rebels Resurgent, Time-Life Books Inc, 1985.

Heidler, David S. and Jeanne T., Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, And Military History Volume 2 D-I, ABC-CLIO Inc, 2000.

McDonald, John, Great Battles of the Civil War, Macmillan Publishing Co, 1988.

McPherson, James M., Battle Chronicles of the Civil War 1862, Macmillan Publishing Co, 1989.

Stackpole, Edward J., The Fredericksburg Campaign, Military Service Publishing Co, 1957.