FREDERICKSBURG 



Fredericksburg. Map showing the disposition of forces 

 in the American battle of Dec. 11-15, 1862 



shoes, and cigars are among the 

 manufactures. The town, incor- 

 porated in 1782, was the scene of 

 an important battle during the 

 American Civil War. Pop. 5,874. 

 Fredericksburg, BATTLE OF. 

 Fought in the American Civil War, 

 Dec. 11-15, 1862, between the 

 Federals under Burnside and the 

 Confederates under Lee. It took 



3328 



Lee's artillery con- 

 sisted of "rifled 

 guns, Napoleons, 

 and smooth bores. 

 The Federal grand 

 divisions were 

 composed of six 

 army corps, those 

 under Couch (2nd) 

 and Willcox (9th) 

 constituting Sum- 

 ner's command ; 

 those of Stoneman 

 (3rd) and Butter- 

 field (5th) were 

 under Hooker; 

 those of Reynolds 

 (1st) and Smith 

 (6th) under 

 Franklin. 



The Federal 

 generalissimo 

 might have rein- 

 forced these six 

 corps by post- 

 poning his attack, 

 for Siegel's (llth) 

 and Slocum's 

 (12th) corps were 

 on thei r way to j oin 



him. For nearly a month the two 

 armies had been face to face, and 

 most careful preparations had been 

 made on both sides, but since Lee 

 could not be certain where the Rap- 

 pahannock would be crossed, he kept 

 Jackson's corps some 20 m. down 

 the river \mtil Dec. 12, when the 

 enemy, having completed his pon- 

 toon bridges, crossed and seized the 



place on the S. bank of the Rappa- town, driving out the small Con- 

 hannock, near Fredericksburg. The federate garrison. On Dec. 13 the 

 object of the Federals, who were on Federals were on the right bank, 

 the N. bank of the river, was to In the result Franklin's two corps 

 cross and gain the road to Rich- assailed Jackson's corps and 

 mond, the Confederate capital, but Stuart's cavalry, Sumner's two 

 the Confederates barred the way. corps afterwards attacking Long- 

 The Federals numbered 125,596 street's corps, while Hooker's 

 against the Confederates 85,175, an 

 insufficient majority for attack ; 

 moreover, the Confederates had a 

 better supply of officers. 



General Lee's army was organ- 



ized in two corps under Longstreet 



command assisted Franklin and 

 Sumner in turn. 



The left attack under Franklin 

 employed two divisions, or seven 

 brigades, against six Confederate 

 brigades drawn from the divisions 



(1st) and Jackson (2nd) respec- of A. P. Hill, Ewell, and Hood 

 tively, and a cavalry division under (Jackson's corps). The right at- 

 Stuart. Burnside had formed his tack W. of the town was delivered 

 army in three grand divisions under 

 Sumner (right), Hooker (centre), 



and Franklin (left). A bend of the 



mainly by Couch's 2nd corps, and 

 was crushed by four Confederate 

 brigades from the divisions of Ran- 



river enabled the Federals to bring some and McLaws (Longstreet's 

 under the fire of their heavy guns corps). The attackers on this front, 

 on Stafford Heights a considerable 

 part of the opposite bank, including 

 the town of Fredericksburg, which 

 caused the Confederates to with- 

 draw to a range of low hills about 

 2 m. from the river, where Lee, on 

 a front of 7 m. or 8 m., constructed 



although reinforced by four bri- 

 gades from Butterfield's 5th corps, 

 failed to reach the Confederate de- 

 fences. On the left Lee's defences 

 were never in actual danger, for 

 the attackers who escaped the fire 

 of Longstreet's artillery were shot 



defence works and emplaced his down at musket range. 



guns to sweep all the approaches. 

 On the extreme right* was Stuart's 

 cavalry, in the centre Jackson's 

 corps, and on the left Longstreet's. 



On the right the encounter was 

 less one-sided, for the Federals con- 

 trived to break through Jackson's 

 line at " a point of woods " form- 



FREDERICTON 



ing a salient where the ground in 

 rear had been deemed impene- 

 trable through a deep ravine and 

 thick undergrowth. This obstacle, 

 however, was overcome by Meade's 

 division, which got in rear of Lane's 

 and Archer's brigades, and cap- 

 tured part of the supporting bri- 

 gades under Gregg and Thomas. 



In military history this battle is 

 remarkable as exhibiting the power 

 of passive defence when time has 

 been allowed for entrenching. It 

 shows the natural results of a suc- 

 cession of vague orders and the 

 lack of resolution, and the danger 

 of frontal attacks was once again 

 exemplified. It has been said that 

 the defending general missed his op- 

 portunity for a decisive counter-at- 

 tack, but according to Jackson, the 

 Federal artillery completely domin- 

 ated the plain over which the Con- 

 federates would have to advance 

 towards the river. The Federals, 

 therefore, were suffered to remain 

 on the south bank for two days, 

 under the fire of skirmishers. 



After the battle Lee's defences 

 were strengthened and his troops 

 redistributed to meet any further 

 attack. But Burnside withdrew his 

 forces (113,000 men) just when the 

 arrangements had been made by 

 the naval authorities to support him 

 by a feint attack with gunboats at 

 Port Royal ; he recrossed the river 

 on the night of Dec. 15. Thus 

 Lee's army was left in peace for the 

 winter, for the attempt known as 

 the Mud March, a month later, to 

 move round his left flank and cross 

 the river above the town, collapsed. 

 Violent quarrels ensued between 

 Burnside and his subordinates, 

 some of whom he dismissed; but 

 in the end Burnside himself was 

 relieved of his command. See 

 American Civil War ; Lee. 



Fredericton. City and capital 

 of New Brunswick, Canada. It 

 stands on the river St. John, 84 m. 

 from its mouth, and 68 m. N.N.W. 

 of the city of St. John. It is a 

 station on the C.P.R. and Inter- 

 colonial Rly., while steamers ply 

 the river to St. John. The chief 

 buildings are those of the provin- 

 cial legislature and the government 

 offices, Government House, the 

 city hall, the barracks, an Anglican 

 cathedral, and several churches ; 

 also the university of New Bruns- 

 wick, colleges, and schools. 



Fredericton is the centre of a 

 lumbering district and its chief in- 

 dustries are boat-building, canning, 

 tanning, and the making of boots 

 and shoes. The city was founded 

 about 1740, and, although not the 

 largest town, was made the capital 

 in 1788 because it was less exposed 

 to attack than St. John. Its first 

 name was St. Ann's. Pop. 7,208. 



