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Civil War America
Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!
During the battle of Gettysburg, as Union troops along Cemetery Ridge rebuffed Pickett's Charge, they were heard to shout, "Give them Fredericksburg " Their cries reverberated from a clash that, although fought some six months earlier, clearly loomed large in the minds of Civil War soldiers.
Fought on December 13, 1862, the battle of Fredericksburg ended in a stunning defeat for the Union. Confederate general Robert E. Lee suffered roughly 5,000 casualties but inflicted more than twice that many losses--nearly 13,000--on his opponent, General Ambrose Burnside. As news of the Union loss traveled north, it spread a wave of public despair that extended all the way to President Lincoln. In the beleaguered Confederacy, the southern victory bolstered flagging hopes, as Lee and his men began to take on an aura of invincibility.
George Rable offers a gripping account of the battle of Fredericksburg and places the campaign within its broader political, social, and military context. Blending battlefield and home front history, he not only addresses questions of strategy and tactics but also explores material conditions in camp, the rhythms and disruptions of military life, and the enduring effects of the carnage on survivors--both civilian and military--on both sides.
688 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2002
21 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
George C. Rable
15 books3 followersGeorge C. Rable is the Charles Summersell Professor of Southern History at the University of Alabama.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 20, 2012
I have been waiting for some time for a decent book to be published on the Civil War battle at Fredericksburg, now within a matter of months two very good accounts have appeared on the market. I must admit that it took me awhile to decide which book to purchase out of the two releases but in the end the weight of the reviews at Amazon guided me towards Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! by George Rable.
I quite enjoyed this account which is not just a campaign history of Fredericksburg but more of a micro social and military history of the men who fought this terrible battle. I found the details of the soldier's life very interesting and I enjoyed the author's description of the battle a great deal. It must be stated as it has in the reviews below, that the battle is not covered in great depth. However out of the 435 pages of narrative we get a full account of how this terrible battle affected not only the soldiers who fought it but also their political masters and the civilians at home.
The book offers more than just a military history of this battle; it provides the reader with a real insight into the life of a Civil War soldier. I was amazed with many of the first-hand accounts offered in the narrative and I really enjoyed reading about these men, both from the Federal and Confederate perspective. In the end I didn't notice that the actual account of the battle only took up a quarter of the book. The narrative is lively and full of interesting antidotes, both from soldiers and civilians alike.
A number of maps and black & white illustrations were provided and all were of a decent standard (a nice change!). For those who are interested the author has also provided an Order-of-Battle at the end of the book and over 130 pages of references and notes. Overall this is a very decent Civil War history and I think that most readers will enjoy this account of Fredericksburg.
I quite enjoyed this account which is not just a campaign history of Fredericksburg but more of a micro social and military history of the men who fought this terrible battle. I found the details of the soldier's life very interesting and I enjoyed the author's description of the battle a great deal. It must be stated as it has in the reviews below, that the battle is not covered in great depth. However out of the 435 pages of narrative we get a full account of how this terrible battle affected not only the soldiers who fought it but also their political masters and the civilians at home.
The book offers more than just a military history of this battle; it provides the reader with a real insight into the life of a Civil War soldier. I was amazed with many of the first-hand accounts offered in the narrative and I really enjoyed reading about these men, both from the Federal and Confederate perspective. In the end I didn't notice that the actual account of the battle only took up a quarter of the book. The narrative is lively and full of interesting antidotes, both from soldiers and civilians alike.
A number of maps and black & white illustrations were provided and all were of a decent standard (a nice change!). For those who are interested the author has also provided an Order-of-Battle at the end of the book and over 130 pages of references and notes. Overall this is a very decent Civil War history and I think that most readers will enjoy this account of Fredericksburg.
May 1, 2024
The best books about Civil War battles that I’ve read combine a battle narrative with analysis of what went right and wrong, some consideration of the larger political context and the state of the war at the time of the battle, plus some acknowledgment of what individual soldiers went through, to counteract what can often be an inevitable focus on the generals. This book on the Battle of Fredericksburg does all of those things - some better than others, as the soldiers’ stories in particular prove at times to be a little too much of a good thing.
But more on that in a bit. First, though, any Civil War battle historian who’s not writing about one of the marquee battles like Gettysburg or Antietam typically has to defend their subject and explain why it’s important to write, and read, about it. And Rable is no exception. Fredericksburg was essentially an uncomplicated, one-sided rout. But “too often,” Rable argues, “historians operating largely from hindsight have treated Fredericksburg as a large, costly, but not especially significant battle.” He cleverly defends the importance of the battle by beginning his book later, at Gettysburg, where Union troops shouted “give them Fredericksburg!”, as they sought to avenge what had happened to them seven months earlier. “Battles are never isolated events,” Rable observes, “and the rippling effects of Fredericksburg” were arguably more important than the battle itself.
Rable sets the scene well, describing the months leading up to Fredericksburg as a particularly complicated time for the Union. The strategic Union victory at Antietam was not decisive enough to lift sagging Northern spirits, but it allowed Lincoln to announce the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. The midterm election results of 1862 were not great for Lincoln’s Republicans, but they allowed Lincoln to finally remove Gen. McClellan from command, without having to worry about potential electoral repercussions. A fresh start with Gen. Burnside and a clear battlefield victory would be just what the Union needed ahead of the Final Emancipation Proclamation taking effect at the beginning of 1863.
But it didn’t quite work out that way. “McClellan had been removed for being too slow,” Rable writes, “and Burnside had moved forward quickly” - perhaps too quickly, since conditions were hardly ripe for a major offensive just as winter was setting in. Rable describes the bad weather, supply line problems, drooping morale, Burnside’s dealings with skeptical McClellan loyalists, political questions and concerns about emancipation, together with a long and frustrating delay in constructing pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock - allowing Confederate forces in Fredericksburg plenty of time to prepare and dig in - all of which did not bode well for Union success.
It turned into an impossible fight against the entrenched Confederates. Burnside stubbornly pressed on, at great cost, until retreat was finally the only option.
Along the way, Rable describes the Valley Forge-like conditions for the soldiers. And he describes in great detail their everyday lives in camp, their living conditions, hardships, depredations, health, food, religious life, and so on. A focus on the soldiers’ experiences before, during and after battles is always welcome, since it helps to humanize the story instead of telling it from the viewpoints of a couple of generals moving pieces around a chess board.
In the case of this book, however, I actually found it to be somewhat too much. Particularly later in the book, after the battle is over, it seems just when a chapter begins to analyze Burnside’s performance, or Lincoln’s reaction, or the political consequences of the Union loss, or the impact on the public, or the effects on emancipation, Rable veers off into further discussion about what the soldiers thought and said and experienced and observed. And there are honestly only so many times one needs to read about the cold they withstood or the wounds they suffered or the diarrhea they experienced or the comrades whose deaths they witnessed.
I say this not to minimize their suffering or sacrifices at all, because it’s an important part of the story that needs to be told. But for narrative purposes, Rable might have been able to consolidate a lot of this into discrete chapters instead of spreading it throughout the book, because their perspective becomes a constant refrain that feels a bit repetitive after a while and ends up shifting some needed attention away from the bigger picture. I learned so much about what the soldiers thought and experienced, but comparatively little about, for example, what Burnside was thinking, what mistakes were made and what the lasting impact of the battle was on both the Union and Confederate sides.
Overall, the book is very well-written and if you just go with the flow, it’s an engrossing read that zips along at a pretty good pace and gives you a good sense of how the battle played out. Too much of the soldiers’ point of view may not be such a bad thing as compared to other Civil War battle books that have too much focus on officers and tactics and maneuvers with little sense of the actual people who did the fighting. I just found Rable’s focus to be a bit too much of an overcorrection in the other direction. While the book is not quite perfect, then, it does still succeed in giving Fredericksburg its due, as more than just a “large, costly, but not especially significant battle.”
But more on that in a bit. First, though, any Civil War battle historian who’s not writing about one of the marquee battles like Gettysburg or Antietam typically has to defend their subject and explain why it’s important to write, and read, about it. And Rable is no exception. Fredericksburg was essentially an uncomplicated, one-sided rout. But “too often,” Rable argues, “historians operating largely from hindsight have treated Fredericksburg as a large, costly, but not especially significant battle.” He cleverly defends the importance of the battle by beginning his book later, at Gettysburg, where Union troops shouted “give them Fredericksburg!”, as they sought to avenge what had happened to them seven months earlier. “Battles are never isolated events,” Rable observes, “and the rippling effects of Fredericksburg” were arguably more important than the battle itself.
Rable sets the scene well, describing the months leading up to Fredericksburg as a particularly complicated time for the Union. The strategic Union victory at Antietam was not decisive enough to lift sagging Northern spirits, but it allowed Lincoln to announce the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. The midterm election results of 1862 were not great for Lincoln’s Republicans, but they allowed Lincoln to finally remove Gen. McClellan from command, without having to worry about potential electoral repercussions. A fresh start with Gen. Burnside and a clear battlefield victory would be just what the Union needed ahead of the Final Emancipation Proclamation taking effect at the beginning of 1863.
But it didn’t quite work out that way. “McClellan had been removed for being too slow,” Rable writes, “and Burnside had moved forward quickly” - perhaps too quickly, since conditions were hardly ripe for a major offensive just as winter was setting in. Rable describes the bad weather, supply line problems, drooping morale, Burnside’s dealings with skeptical McClellan loyalists, political questions and concerns about emancipation, together with a long and frustrating delay in constructing pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock - allowing Confederate forces in Fredericksburg plenty of time to prepare and dig in - all of which did not bode well for Union success.
It turned into an impossible fight against the entrenched Confederates. Burnside stubbornly pressed on, at great cost, until retreat was finally the only option.
Along the way, Rable describes the Valley Forge-like conditions for the soldiers. And he describes in great detail their everyday lives in camp, their living conditions, hardships, depredations, health, food, religious life, and so on. A focus on the soldiers’ experiences before, during and after battles is always welcome, since it helps to humanize the story instead of telling it from the viewpoints of a couple of generals moving pieces around a chess board.
In the case of this book, however, I actually found it to be somewhat too much. Particularly later in the book, after the battle is over, it seems just when a chapter begins to analyze Burnside’s performance, or Lincoln’s reaction, or the political consequences of the Union loss, or the impact on the public, or the effects on emancipation, Rable veers off into further discussion about what the soldiers thought and said and experienced and observed. And there are honestly only so many times one needs to read about the cold they withstood or the wounds they suffered or the diarrhea they experienced or the comrades whose deaths they witnessed.
I say this not to minimize their suffering or sacrifices at all, because it’s an important part of the story that needs to be told. But for narrative purposes, Rable might have been able to consolidate a lot of this into discrete chapters instead of spreading it throughout the book, because their perspective becomes a constant refrain that feels a bit repetitive after a while and ends up shifting some needed attention away from the bigger picture. I learned so much about what the soldiers thought and experienced, but comparatively little about, for example, what Burnside was thinking, what mistakes were made and what the lasting impact of the battle was on both the Union and Confederate sides.
Overall, the book is very well-written and if you just go with the flow, it’s an engrossing read that zips along at a pretty good pace and gives you a good sense of how the battle played out. Too much of the soldiers’ point of view may not be such a bad thing as compared to other Civil War battle books that have too much focus on officers and tactics and maneuvers with little sense of the actual people who did the fighting. I just found Rable’s focus to be a bit too much of an overcorrection in the other direction. While the book is not quite perfect, then, it does still succeed in giving Fredericksburg its due, as more than just a “large, costly, but not especially significant battle.”
August 15, 2021
Fredericksburg, like nearly every other Civil War battle, is a story with many chapters: the delay in delivering the pontoons to Burnside and his Federals which relinquished any advantage he might have enjoyed and allowed Lee to fortify his positions on the high ground west of town; the failure to support the Union left breakthrough of the Confederate line resulting in a retreat and loss of gained ground; the breakdown of discipline and the subsequent looting and general destruction of Fredericksburg by occupying Union troops; the stubbornness of General Burnside in sending wave after wave of Union brigades against the impregnable Confederate center. In general, it was a Union disaster of their own making.
Author Rable presents a thorough, incredibly detailed account of not only the battle itself but the political and cultural environment before, during and after the forces have left the field of battle. In fact, the crossing of the Union forces of the Rappahannock into Fredericksburg doesn't factor in the book until page 156. Fredericksburg was a disaster for the Union who had yet another mismanaged engagement to come at Chancellorsville in a little more than six months.
An excellent account of Fredericksburg. I can't imagine a more scholarly achievement.
Author Rable presents a thorough, incredibly detailed account of not only the battle itself but the political and cultural environment before, during and after the forces have left the field of battle. In fact, the crossing of the Union forces of the Rappahannock into Fredericksburg doesn't factor in the book until page 156. Fredericksburg was a disaster for the Union who had yet another mismanaged engagement to come at Chancellorsville in a little more than six months.
An excellent account of Fredericksburg. I can't imagine a more scholarly achievement.
September 12, 2023
Great book!
This book has had somewhat mixed reviews because the actual battle descriptions take up just a few chapters compared to the rest of the book. That is so, but I don’t find that as a problem because the author goes into great detail on the entire campaign, which lasted weeks; the battle itself only lasted a few days. While very eventful, to understand the battle you must first have a good grounding in the campaign. The author did this well. Many first person accounts makes for a very lively read. First rate!
This book has had somewhat mixed reviews because the actual battle descriptions take up just a few chapters compared to the rest of the book. That is so, but I don’t find that as a problem because the author goes into great detail on the entire campaign, which lasted weeks; the battle itself only lasted a few days. While very eventful, to understand the battle you must first have a good grounding in the campaign. The author did this well. Many first person accounts makes for a very lively read. First rate!
July 30, 2020
Military history, particularly books focused on one sole battle or campaign, often come across as convoluted and indecipherable as a user manual for a dishwasher: sure, you understand the "big picture" and can trace out specific items, but the narrative is lost in a swarm of jargon. Rable's "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" is the rare military history that combines specific battle and tactical movements with an intimate focus on the lives, deaths, emotions, and struggles of the soldiers themselves, both Union and Confederate. Fredericksburg may very well be the Civil War campaign to carry out this endeavor, as the battle is as straightforward in its tactics as it is tragic in the consequences of those tactics.
Fredericksburg, along with Chancellorsville and Second Bull Run, are battles little remembered between the giants of Antietam and Gettysburg, not to mention Western battles like Vicksburg. Fittingly, Rable reconstructs the campaign as beginning and ending in the mud and muck of the Virginia winter of 1862-63. The narrative begins with the uneasy transfer of command of the Army of the Potomac from haughty George McClellan to humble Ambrose Burnside. Despite an earnestness and determination to match any general in the Union, Burnside fails to grasp one of the key innovations, or lack thereof, of the Civil War: headlong charges will not carry a position, a battle or the day for any commander, North or South. Facing Burnside is Robert E. Lee, a general developing an aura of invincibility after successive victories, and who will only grow more fond of his troops in light of Fredericksburg.
The battle-plan is simple: Burnside has his army cross the Rappahannock River, storm the entrenched Confederates (on the Union right, aiming for Marye's Heights; on the left, aiming for Prospect Hill), and (hopefully) march on to Richmond. From the beginning, though, Union soldiers face sniping Confederates in the town itself upon crossing the river, and then are greeted with one of the most gruesome hellscapes of the war: blistering, enfilading fire from entrenched Confederates with ideal firing lines, able to mow down Union soldiers effortlessly and continuously. The heights, needless to say, are not carried.
Before, during and after the battle, Rable reconstructs beautifully the movements and feelings of the soldiers themselves. Wars aren't just battles, after all; rather, it's a long, grinding march from place to place, with little sense at the private level of where they are going and when their demise might come. From religion to politics to gambling and horseplay, soldiers of the North and South are shown as humans. One of the most searing passages from the book is the description of how Confederates, after hurling bullets and bombs at the Union all day long, rise up and offer the severely wounded a drink of water, a helping hand, or simply a companion through the valley of the shadow of their death. War erases much humanity, but never completely.
Burnside not only loses the battle, but also his command and the morale of his men. The scheming of pro-McClellan subordinates and the bombastic Joseph Hooker doom humble Burnside with Lincoln and the Cabinet. In the end, Burnside's reputation hangs on the determination of the men he sent into the maw of Fredericksburg: men who died heroically, but vainly in a battle that could not be won.
Rable captures it nicely by writing that Fredericksburg captures the "mundane, the horrific, and the transcendent" all in one. The South emerges tactically victorious, but still facing an existential economic, political and military threats (from the West); the North stumbles on, half-broken, forlorn, and unsure how to meld victory from statistical and industrial superiority; and the soldiers go marching on, through the mud, torn by conflicting emotions of homesickness, courage, patriotism, and confusion as to what all of the barrels of blood spilled will amount to in the end.
Fredericksburg, along with Chancellorsville and Second Bull Run, are battles little remembered between the giants of Antietam and Gettysburg, not to mention Western battles like Vicksburg. Fittingly, Rable reconstructs the campaign as beginning and ending in the mud and muck of the Virginia winter of 1862-63. The narrative begins with the uneasy transfer of command of the Army of the Potomac from haughty George McClellan to humble Ambrose Burnside. Despite an earnestness and determination to match any general in the Union, Burnside fails to grasp one of the key innovations, or lack thereof, of the Civil War: headlong charges will not carry a position, a battle or the day for any commander, North or South. Facing Burnside is Robert E. Lee, a general developing an aura of invincibility after successive victories, and who will only grow more fond of his troops in light of Fredericksburg.
The battle-plan is simple: Burnside has his army cross the Rappahannock River, storm the entrenched Confederates (on the Union right, aiming for Marye's Heights; on the left, aiming for Prospect Hill), and (hopefully) march on to Richmond. From the beginning, though, Union soldiers face sniping Confederates in the town itself upon crossing the river, and then are greeted with one of the most gruesome hellscapes of the war: blistering, enfilading fire from entrenched Confederates with ideal firing lines, able to mow down Union soldiers effortlessly and continuously. The heights, needless to say, are not carried.
Before, during and after the battle, Rable reconstructs beautifully the movements and feelings of the soldiers themselves. Wars aren't just battles, after all; rather, it's a long, grinding march from place to place, with little sense at the private level of where they are going and when their demise might come. From religion to politics to gambling and horseplay, soldiers of the North and South are shown as humans. One of the most searing passages from the book is the description of how Confederates, after hurling bullets and bombs at the Union all day long, rise up and offer the severely wounded a drink of water, a helping hand, or simply a companion through the valley of the shadow of their death. War erases much humanity, but never completely.
Burnside not only loses the battle, but also his command and the morale of his men. The scheming of pro-McClellan subordinates and the bombastic Joseph Hooker doom humble Burnside with Lincoln and the Cabinet. In the end, Burnside's reputation hangs on the determination of the men he sent into the maw of Fredericksburg: men who died heroically, but vainly in a battle that could not be won.
Rable captures it nicely by writing that Fredericksburg captures the "mundane, the horrific, and the transcendent" all in one. The South emerges tactically victorious, but still facing an existential economic, political and military threats (from the West); the North stumbles on, half-broken, forlorn, and unsure how to meld victory from statistical and industrial superiority; and the soldiers go marching on, through the mud, torn by conflicting emotions of homesickness, courage, patriotism, and confusion as to what all of the barrels of blood spilled will amount to in the end.
April 27, 2021
Book has amazing detail and some truly harrowing and poignant moments. Some chapters tend to say the same thing in different ways over and over. I learned much and appreciate the challenges of the operation more than ever. I didn’t always “enjoy” the read and had to put it down several times. I really liked the focus on the wounded and their pain and struggles for decades after the battle. Usually neglected aspect that is brilliantly documented here. The notes in the back are gold for anyone wanting to locate original sources or get a bit more granular.
I do recommend this book.
I do recommend this book.
November 22, 2021
For the serious reader only
I enjoyed this book very much but like other reviewers, found it a bit long. Not long in the number of pages but rather in the coverage of related topics. It is much more than a treatise about a particular battle. If you simply want details on the battle with a little before and after for context, you might be well suited to look elsewhere. However, if you are a serious student of the Civil War and want more than Corps and Brigade movements this is an excellent choice.
I enjoyed this book very much but like other reviewers, found it a bit long. Not long in the number of pages but rather in the coverage of related topics. It is much more than a treatise about a particular battle. If you simply want details on the battle with a little before and after for context, you might be well suited to look elsewhere. However, if you are a serious student of the Civil War and want more than Corps and Brigade movements this is an excellent choice.
December 6, 2023
Excellent recounting of the battle, including the aftermath. Draws on and quotes very many diaries and letters of the soldiers. On negative is the insufficiency of the maps that are provided. It is my opinion that most roads, towns, etc. that are specifically called out in the text should be shown on a map; of course, this rarely happens. Rable's writing style is very readable,
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December 11, 2022An broad but excellent account of the Battle of Fredericksburg! Rable puts the campaign in context. He recounts the social, economic, political and military milieu in which the battle occurred. It is worth the read.
July 3, 2022
Easy read, lots of first hand accounts from the soldiers perspective. More focused on the Union experience than confederates.
April 24, 2025
Great background and post battle insight, but idea of the book was I thought about the actual battle. It was good. And having been there in person, was nice to tie into.
September 28, 2018
The book's coverage of the actual military operations of the Fredericksburg Campaign was pretty good. However, the author also provides a social and cultural perspective on the time period, from the start of the campaign through the Mud March, including how the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays were celebrated. Personally, these sections seemed to apply just as well to the war as a whole, rather than specifically about the Fredericksburg Campaign.
August 11, 2016
Perhaps this is due to my original unfamiliarity with the Battle of Fredericksburg or maybe more so with the uninspiring title, but I wasn't expecting much when I got this book. Despite these obstacles, I found myself pleasantly surprised as this is a very informative book not only about the battle itself but the events that preceded and superseded it. In fact, the buildup and post-battle analysis are the best parts of the book as non-fighting topics such as politics, morale and weather are all examined in detail and woven into the narrative quite well. The description of the battle itself is adequate but nowhere near as in depth as you might find in one of Stephen W. Sears' books. This battle may not as well known as other Civil War battles as it was just another of the many Confederate repulsions of Union forces in Virginia that happened frequently during the first few years of the war, but the author has done this battle great justice and deserves recognition for this to be mentioned in the same breath as other more celebrated Civil War books.
September 21, 2012
I think the author mentioned he spent 20 years researching this book - it shows in the extensive first-person accounts by soldiers that are woven into the narrative.
He is sympathetic but fair to the unlucky Burnside; shows the true colors of Joseph Hooker and retains respect for the iconic majesty of Robert E. Lee and shows a human and weary Abraham Lincoln. There are many thoughtful but ultimately unresolved pages of observation around the part played in the lives of soldiers by their Christian faith.
A little less liberal use of the word "sanguine" might have been a good editorial suggestion for the author. Also, the forward literally leaps forward to Gettysburg and is a bit disconcerting to the reader who expects to learn about Fredericksburg. These are quibbles - the book is a good (yet sad and painful) read.
Currently reading
April 27, 2013This book is good...like a doctoral thesis on the battle of Fredericksburg, but with great quotes and intense action. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish it because it's due back to the library and not renewable and I'm leaving on a trip to Fredericksburg. I may buy the book and finish it if they have it on sale. I did find that as the action intensified I seemed to get bored. Probably more about what happens to my mind when it's overstimulated than any fault of the author. Kind of fascinating though, how even reading about battles can desensitize you. It was like "oh gee, another severed limb, burned carcass, split open head, bloody entrails...yawn."
September 10, 2009
Comprehensive summary of the political circumstances surrounding this battle. Many quotations throughout from soldiers' diaries helped me appreciate how very awful the weather conditions and the Confederate advantage of occupying Marye's Heights combined to demoralize an already demoralized Federal effort.
December 28, 2016
Book of the Year (2013) (Runner Up) Fredericksburg’s place in the Civil War timeline – between McClellan's resignation and the Emancipation Proclamation – leaves it as the battle that marks when the war fundamentally changed. Rable discusses the context of the battle without skimping over the actual details of the fighting. One of the best biographies of a single battle I have ever read.
April 9, 2012
Rable did not focus enough on the events of the battle, and seemed to be preoccupied with social and cultural anecdotes.
September 7, 2012
Fredericksburg was a battle that was a resounding defeat for the Union. Rable's book is an excellent, in-depth analysis of the whys and hows of the failure.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews