Name: edHelper Battle of Fredericksburg 1862 President Lincoln had a problem. He needed the war to go better, but he could not find the right generals to do the job. His current general, McClellan, moved too slowly. On November 7, 1862, Lincoln chose to promote General Burnside to be the man in charge. Lincoln ordered Burnside to go and attack Richmond. The man quickly formed a plan and put it into action. He would march south and cross the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg and move on to Richmond from there. He planned to cross on a pontoon bridge and take over the town before Lee could move into position to block him. Though many of Burnside's officers doubted the plan, he quickly put it into action. Everything moved as he wished until he reached the river. There he discovered that his pontoon bridges would be 17 days late in arriving. Those days, which slowed down Burnside, also gave Lee a chance to save the situation for the Confederates. They were able to entrench themselves, not only in the town, but also in the hills surrounding it. When Burnside's men tried to work on the pontoon bridges, they were picked off by the riflemen in the homes across the river. On December 11, he decided he could beat the town into surrendering by shelling it for two hours with his 150 guns. The plan didn't succeed, and the men ended up ferrying themselves across the river on the pontoon boats. Confederate troops slowly pulled back to the hillsides. On December 12, more and more Union troops flooded into the town, looting and vandalizing every home or business to which they came. Their officers did nothing to restrain them. Lee's men were lined up in a five mile front on the hills around the town waiting for Burnside's next move. The next day, the Union soldiers began their attack. General George Meade was trying to move toward Stonewall Jackson's position at the south end of the line, where it was also thinnest. At first many of his men were lost to artillery fire, but they found their way through a gap in the Confederate line. The counter attack overwhelmed the soldiers and drove them off again. Burnside decided that it was time to launch the second part of his attack which was on Marye's Heights. That hill was not so steep or tall, but it was still crowned with gun placements. He ordered his troops to take the hill. It was actually completely exposed in the 400 yard slope to the top where the Confederates waited. Starting that December morning, wave after wave of Union soldiers was mowed down long before they got close to their target. Name: edHelper Toward the end of the day, a young Confederate sergeant was moved by the cries of the injured and dying on the hill. He asked for and received permission to give them water and do what he could for them. At first, the Union soldiers shot at him, but when they realized he was trying to help the wounded, they left him alone. He gave water to all he could and tried to help make the wounded more comfortable until they could be helped by their own side. He became known as the Angel of Fredericksburg. The Union army lost nearly 3,000 men in one hour on that hillside. Throughout that day more and more men were sent to take the hill with the same result. Burnside wanted to lead more assaults the next day, but his officers convinced him it would be suicidal. Then on December 15-16 he withdrew his army completely, giving up his attack on Fredericksburg. It was a great tactical victory for the Confederacy, but their losses would be hard to replace in both men and supplies. It was discouraging for the Union soldiers, but it only postponed the next attack on Richmond. Battle of Fredericksburg 1862 Questions 1. Why did Lincoln get rid of McClellan? A. He changed sides. B. He was too cautious. C. He didn't obey orders. D. None of the above 2. Lee was surprised by Burnside's move. A. False B. True 3. What was the result of the delay in getting the pontoon bridge in place quickly? 4. Why were Union troops allowed to destroy civilian homes and businesses? A. Union officers couldn't control their troops. B. Soldiers took out their anger at the Confederate army. C. Soldiers were angry at all Southerners. D. All of the above. 5. Why would Burnside choose to attack Marye's Heights? A. It was not as steep or tall as the other hills. B. He wanted the men at the top of the hill. C. It was a challenge. D. The artillery was special. Name: edHelper 6. Why would General Burnside keep sending men up the hill to get killed? 7. The Confederate who took pity on the Union soldiers at Marye's Heights was called: A. Fredericksburg Angel B. Marye's Angel C. Angel of Fredericksburg D. Angel of Marye's Heights 8. In spite of their losses, Fredericksburg was a tactical victory for the Union. A. False B. True edHelper Name: How many of these can you write about? Think! Write! Check all the ones you answered. Your general has just failed again to get a big victory, and you are promoted over him. What do you think, and what will you say to him? You have been trying to take a hill held by your enemy. Your men have to cross a wide, open space to get there. You have already had heavy losses. What strategy would you use? Don't stop writing. Use a blank piece of paper to continue..