The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862 by David Cliffel

for use with Fire and Fury at 200 men per stand and 8 pieces per gun stand.

So much has been written and said about this battle, that I will not attempt to provide a thorough introduction. Basically, Burnside, the newly appointed chief of the Army of the Potomac, split his forces in two, the first making a downriver crossing of Rappahannock River, south of Fredericksburg to attack the Confederate right flank. The other force was to pin the Confederates at Fredericksburg by assaulting the heights beyond Fredericksburg. The flanking attack was led by Franklin and his attempt to carry the Confederate right is given in the Prospect Hill Scenario. This assault very nearly succeeded in breaking the "Stonewall", Jackson's troops, but fresh confederate reserves help save the day. Meade's gallant conduct of the assault quickly propelled him up the chain of command, and he would take over the Army of the Potomac in the months.

The attempt to take Marye's Heights by the remainder of Burnside's troops is given in the second scenario. This assault is probably the worst mistake in the war, and was finally stopped after pleading and begging from Burnside's fellow generals to pull back from in front of the stone wall/ sunken road that was the linchpin of the confederates. Against odds of nearly 8:1, the brave defenders led by Cobb, held off repeated Union charges.


Prospect Hill

Marye's Heights Not available yet on WWW

The complete order of battle for the forces engaged at Fredericksburg is given: Order of Battle. Simply match the forces available for a particular scenario with the strengths in the order of battle.

If you are interested in the complete battle of Fredericksburg, you can combine the two scenarios and add the troops not listed previously to the defense of the area between Hazel Run and Deep Run.


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