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Ben Miller 

The Battle of Fredericksburg 
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), a battle between the Union and Confederacy started on December 11, 1862. The battle was one of the largest of the Civil War, with 120,000 Union troops and 78,000 Confederate troops. The battle also established the first time that a major American military river crossing had been opposed. The battle also involved heavy urban combat, a rarity during the civil war.  
The battle of Fredericksburg was fought by the newly appointed commander, Ambrose Burnside, fighting for the Union. Burnside was reluctantly commanding his forces after replacing the previous commander, George B. McLellan, an overly cautions commander who allowed Confederate forces to retreat from the battle of Antietam. Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate forces.  
Burnside’s objective during the battle was first to establish a foothold on the other side of the Rappahannock river; in order to do this, he needed pontoon bridges, but due to a miscommunication, they would not be arriving on time. This delay allowed for Confederate forces to dig in and further entrench themselves on Marye’s heights. From December 11th to the 15th, Burnside’s strategy was to crush Lee’s southern flank while holding Longstreet and prevented the Confederate advance from Marye’s heights. General Jackson was the general tasked with defending the southern flank for the Confederates and was able to hold the Union advance and even make effective counterattacks against the Union. The main Union assault on the south was held back by lack of reinforcements and heavy resistance, not allowing them to gain much ground. The Union suffered the majority of the casualties during this battle, with roughly 12,500 casualties from the battle. Two thirds of these suffered on holding a line in front of Marye’s heights. The Confederacy suffered less than 5,000 total casualties.  
The battle was a clear loss for the Union, boosting morale greatly for the Confederacy. Commander Lee was quoted saying, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” Six weeks after the battle, Burnside was removed from his command of the army of the Potomac. 
The victory at Fredericksburg gave a huge morale boost to the Confederate Army and would inspire Lee to another victory in Chancellorsville.  

Sources 
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-fredericksburg 
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/fredericksburg 
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Fredericksburg 
http://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/december.htm 

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