The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock

by Francis Augustin O'Reilly

The battle at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December 1862 involved hundreds of thousands of men; produced staggering, unequal casualties (13,000 Federal soldiers compared to 4,500 Confederates); ruined the career of Ambrose E. Burnside; embarrassed Abraham Lincoln; and distinguished Robert E. Lee as one of the greatest military strategists of his era.
Francis Augustin O'Reilly draws upon his intimate knowledge of the battlegrounds to discuss the unprecedented nature of Fredericksburg's warfare. Lauded for its vivid description, trenchant analysis, and meticulous research, his award-winning book makes for compulsive reading.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, History, Military History, Nonfiction, Civil War Eastern Theater, American History

672 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're only going to read one book about the Battle of Fredericksburg, this is a good choice.

The author begins by discussing logistics and the Northern political climate. The Union army was unable to support itself using the single track Orange & Alexandria Railroad. It had to switch its supply line to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. After the Republican Party faired poorly in the November 1862 elections, President Lincoln pressured his armies to launch winter campaigns. This led not only to the Battle of Fredericksburg, but to the Holly Springs Raid & the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi and the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River) in Tennesseee.

Burnside got the jump on Lee but through logistical & communications failures, the pontoon bridges he needed to cross the Rappahannock River weren't available. By the time they were, Lee's army was in place overlooking Fredericksburg and down river. But Burnside didn't change his plans beyond making some unsuccessful diversions downriver. Barksdale's Mississippi troops fought a very successful delaying action in Fredericksburg that caused many casualties among the engineers trying to build the pontoon bridges. The Union artillery barrage was unsuccessful. Finally, the 7th Michigan Infantry and other regiments crossed by boats under fire and established a bridgehead that allowed the pontoons to be completed. This was a first in U.S. military history.

Union artillery devastated Fredericksburg. Then Union soldiers looted the houses and stores.

As the author points out, there were really two, unconnected battles at Fredericksburg. The fight between the forces of Jackson and Franklin on the Union left and the Union assaults on Marye's Heights behind Fredericksburg. Meade's Division was able to penetrate a gap in Hill's lines through wooded & marshy terrain which the Confederates thought no organized troops could penetrate. Meade's forces caught the Confederates by surprise but the Union troops were disorganized and had no commanders present on the field to exploit the breakthrough. Nor did they receive reinforcements in time to withstand the Confederate counterattack.

The author provides a detailed account of the results of the many failed assaults on Marye's Heights. What I didn't realize is that many of the Union troops never tried to capture the stone wall, they stopped well short of the wall, many of them replacing the troops from previous waves. The troops that came closest to the wall (50 yards) did so after sunset when some of the Confederate artillery withdrew after they ran out of ammunition.

The author describes Burnside's failed Mud March upriver in January 1863 and the mounting criticisms of Burnside by many of the Army of the Potomac's generals. He does a good job summarizing the consequences of the battle at the end of the book. One of which was that General Meade, after he became the commander of the Army of the Potomac, didn't launch his own winter campaign in 1863 until he had his pontoons and other logistical details in place. General Meade also had the good sense to cancel his planned assault on Lee's entrenchments in the Mine Run campaign.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an incredibly detailed and well researched account of the battle presented in a smooth flowing narrative; two things that rarely are coupled together. The author nails down exact locations, the actions of individual regiments, the behavior and fates of officers, soldiers, colors, animal mascots, mule teams, civilian homes…, all adding rich detail to the story that we only know the skeleton of. One of my favorite reads of 2010.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

War definitely is hell. Among the many highlights of "The Fredericksburg Campaign" are viewpoints from those who went through that particular Civil War meat-grinder. From the book, with soldiers' words in quotes:

*** A shell hit Warren Webster of the 21st Massachusetts in the face and his head "flew from his shoulders." Webster's corpse "rolled over, the blood spurted from the neck as water comes from a pump, until the heart pumped the body dry." ***

*** A shell eviscerated a Union soldier, "and in its passage had set fire to his clothing, and there his corpse lay slowly cooking." The 64th New York stepped over the sizzling body while it still convulsed. ***

Quotes expressing horror, fear and disbelief are all over Francis Augustin O'Reilly's book on the Fredericksburg campaign, which climaxed in virtually hopeless, almost mirror-image Union attacks on the Confederate left on December 13, 1862. There has been surprisingly little written about this important battle. So O'Reilly's book is welcome and quite good. In fact, it would have taken very little effort on his part to raise this to a four-star book.

Alas, a little more logistical clarity would have been most welcome. There are back-and-forth surges of battle on the Confederate right at Prospect Hill, and of course repeated Union assaults on Marye's Heights on its left. O'Reilly could have provided clarity merely by telling us a certain brigade was 30 yards to the right of where a previous assault started, for instance. He never does this. There are 15 decent maps, so we're expected to figure things out for ourselves, and sometimes can, but I find O'Reilly's more clinical approach (repeatedly describing what units are next to each other as they attack) lacking. He sometimes gets lost in the details at the expense of the overall picture and layman understanding. More perspective, please.

I also find his Union-Confederate balance a little too tilted toward the former. Yes, it was the Union making bloody, ultimately pointless assaults on the wall fronting Marye's Heights, the Confederates the rocks upon which this blue wave repeatedly crashed. And fewer Southerners wrote about the war, which might very well be the reason. But O'Reilly is about 80/20 on sources from this part of the battle, when at least 65/35 would have provided more balance. Just because you're behind a wall and killing at will doesn't mean you're passive in thought and action.

Unfortunately, there is almost no background on the many key figures here. They just come and go. Likewise, the book's only photos of these figures are one each of Robert E. Lee and Ambrose Burnside, the respective commanders.

But O'Reilly's use of common soldiers as sources is masterful. We really get a grunt-level look at the maelstrom. As Fredericksburg was one of the most one-sided and horrifying battles in American history, he had great source material. But he uses it well. He also skillfully resists making the battle all about the Longstreet vs. Sumner part of the battle — the Marye's Height's assaults. O'Reilly considers Fredericksburg to have been two battles. The Union made several breakthroughs against Stonewall Jackson's men on the Confederate right, the give and take of this hourslong fight far more in doubt than the senseless assaults on the Confederate left. O'Reilly makes clear how costly were Burnside's cryptic orders to William Franklin to open the Dec. 13 battle. His assault was to be the main one, but Franklin didn't know it. Burnside sustained more casualties with his diversion (Marye's Heights) than in his main attack (Prospect Hill).

Accounts of the battle often ignore the fighting away from the stone wall; O'Reilly certainly doesn't, and he also corrects the popular impression (at least to me) that the Union just charged across a clear field in front of the entrenched and protected Southerners. In fact, there were obstacles all over the place: a millrace of water, bridges, fences, buildings, walls, clefts, railroad tracks, before soldiers came to open ground.

The author also did a fine job detailing the maneuvers that led to the battle, including the Union's dangerous laying of pontoon bridges in crossing of the Rappahannock River, the sometimes hand-to-hand street fighting in Fredericksburg (a rarity for the Civil War) and the Federals' destructive takeover of the city, which O'Reilly calls the first ransacking of an American city since the War of 1812 when the British burned Washington.

The end of the battle wasn't the end of the campaign, as O'Reilly's coda detailing Burnside's Mud March and the political machinations that deposed him make clear.

Overall, "The Fredericksburg Campaign" is quite good, valuable, necessary to those deeply interested in the Civil War. It's very detailed and isn't necessarily designed as a "popular" history, but a more reader-friendly approach to the heft would have been most welcome. Consider "The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock" a very solid 3.5-star book, marked down for the discerning Civil War eye.

[Damian Shiels · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best study of Fredericksburg I have thus far read.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed account of the Battle of Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862-1863. Author relates events of the 3 different battles which occurred within and around the city December 11-13 with detailed unit movements and positions, and describes the terrible loss of life and casualties through multiple attempts by the Federal forces' attempts to take the city and then the heights surrounding the city. Unable to successfully gain the ground, failed leadership during battle, and with waning morale of the Union troops, the Federal army left the field in defeat. The Confederates ultimately won the battle, but not without loss on their side. Still, it was a victory for General Lee and the rebel army, and would give momentum to the Confederate army for upcoming battles in Virginia and beyond. The town of Fredericksburg was left in ruins as a result of the use of artillery from both sides as well as the tremendous amount of gunfire expended by both infantries. The author identifies the problems of logistics and conflicts among the Union command which contributed to the defeat of General Burnsides and his army. Much detail comes from those who survived the battles on both sides which contributes greatly to the telling of the carnage and destruction and the personal experiences of those who fought there. The author also tells of the Mud March in the following month, Burnsides attempt to wrest something from the Fredericksburg defeat, only to have his plans fall apart, and ultimately lead to his resignation as leader of the Army of the Potomac.

[Tom Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock

The Fredericksburg Campaign offers a deeply detailed and sobering account of one of the Civil War’s most tragic and complex battles. What sets this book apart is its focus on the men who actually fought — not just the commanding generals, but the soldiers in the ranks. Their personal stories and firsthand accounts bring the human cost of the campaign into stark relief.

The sections detailing the southern clash and the area known as the “Slaughter Pen” are particularly powerful. They provide essential context for understanding the scope and devastation of the battle beyond the infamous assaults on Mayre’s Heights. Speaking of those assaults, the book does not shy away from their brutality. The repeated, hopeless charges against fortified Confederate positions are hard to read, not just because of the tactical futility, but because of the vivid way the author conveys the suffering of the Union troops.

This is not a light or romanticized account. It’s a meticulous, often harrowing examination of a winter campaign defined by courage, misjudgment, and bloodshed. For anyone seeking to truly understand Fredericksburg, this book is essential.

4.6/5 stars

[W Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best tactical study on the Battle of Fredericksburg. O’Reilly skillfully weaves between the command decisions and the horrors of the soldiers and civilians caught in the maelstrom. I can heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in this battle.

[Kendrick Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book I;ve read on Fredericksburg. Suffers from tedious explanations of assaults on Marye's Heights without making a timeline of events which would have been very helpful

[Jdindyfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a Civil War buff - this is a must read as Fredericksburg is a very misunderstood campaign for both sides of the conflict.

[JeffParrotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly researched and very informative. However, the endless details saturate the narrative, make this a slog to read at times.

[M.L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about Fredricksburg. Extremely detailed!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb telling of Major General Burnside's efforts to take Fredericksburg and advance to Richmond and the efforts of Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee to prevent this and push the Union army back. Nearly every great Confederate general makes an appearance here, from Lee to Jackson to A.P. Hill to Longstreet. The studied craft of O'Reilly's writing provides numerous examples of seldom-mentioned specifics of the battle, right down to things like troops stealing beets from a Fredericksburg woman's garden and roasting them on their campfire. A classic battle book, this is long on tactics but also includes truly engaging sketches of human character and is not limited to those of the leading generals but also of lower-ranked officers such as a Lt. Smith who was Jackson's aide. It appears that O'Reilly has read every letter home from troops on this campaign and every diary or report that remains for a scholar to study.

My only complaint is the lack of maps and that those which were included were not much better than none at all: O'Reilly mentions time and again that Fredericksburg was the first American engagement of urban warfare and yet his cartographer produced murky battle maps of in-city fighting that follow the model for open battlefield maps and lack the detail and clarity needed for the urban environment.

[Josh Liller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 500 page behemoth covers the entire 2 1/2 month period when Ambrose Burnside commanded the Army of the Potomac. The focus is of course on the battle itself, with the main day of fighting (Dec 13, 1862) taking up about 300 pages.

The strengths and weaknesses of this book are largely the same: it is an incredibly detailed history of the campaign and battle. The obvious comparison in my mind is to Peter Cozzens, an excellent historian and a good writer who writes regimental-level histories than can become heavy reading in places. This book is Cozzens' style cranked up to 11. As a result, this book is probably an exhaustive history of the battle, but I also found it an exhausting one. O'Reilly doesn't seem like a bad writer, but I think it would take an exemplary mastery of prose to make this a more enjoyable read.

I ended up skimming or skipping quite a bit before moving on to other books. I can't recommend it to anyone, but very dedicated Civil War buffs. At the same time, I don't find fault in the content itself and would plow through it again for a good reason.

[Michael Donohue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best military history of the Ftredericksburg campaign I have read. An excellent telling of the overlooked engagements of the Union left vs Confederate right and Jackson south of town on Prospect Hill. The slaughter of union soldiers on the Union right attacking heavily fortified Marye's Heights is well known. O'Reilly, though clearly more interested in the action on Prospect Hill spends a large amount of pages, chapters and research going into minute detail of wave after wave of unsuccessful attacks. The amount of research required to write in such detail is quite impressive, but also booged down the narrative in my opinion. Perhaps for me all of the detail was uneccessary since the only detail that really mattered in the outcome of that part of the battle was Longstreet's incredibly well fortified position and Burnside's stubbornness determined to take a clearly unattainable objective.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francis Augustin O'Reilly's "The Fredericksburg Campaign" is surely the most detailed account that one could desire of Ambrose Burnside's time in command of the Army of the Potomac. The book is over 500 dense pages, most filled with minute accounts of the activities of individual regiments and batteries on the fateful fight of 13 December 1862. Perhaps I am telegraphing my own sense that it was all too much. O'Reilly is to be praised for his thoroughness in researching and describing the battle and its context, yet I felt this book fell short in giving me a sense of the whole. The reader is left to form his or her own conception of the forest from the detailed descriptions of the trees, bark, and leaves. I do not regret reading "The Fredericksburg Campaign" by any means, but I cannot recommend the book to anyone except the most committed student of the Civil War.

[Eric Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I am certain it is the definitive account of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Many fascinating details that aren't mentioned in general works, such as the heroic effort to bridge the Rappahannock, the sack of the town itself, and the battles south of the town are covered in depth. In addition, the book is the best I have ever read on what the battlefield experience of the individual soldier was like; the horrors and brutality of warfare are presented in bloody detail.

On the other hand, I found the writing style a tedious and difficult to read, and the author often describes the same event multiple times.

I wouldn't start with this book, but if you are interested in the Civil War, this is a book you should read.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed account of the Battle of Fredericksburg, using eyewitness accounts to cover the battle almost blow-by-blow. Problem is, this one-sided battle doesn't really lend itself to such intricate dissection. It's nice to see O'Reilly analyze Burnside's predicament: Lincoln and Halleck pressured him for a decisive victory neither he nor the Army of the Potomac was ready for. O'Reilly covers obscure incidents like the Union sack of Fredericksburg, or Stonewall Jackson's abortive counterattack on the 13th, and he shows that the early Union attacks on Prospect Hill came perilously close to success. But recounting the doomed attacks on Marye's Heights in excruciating detail can't help being repetitive, however harrowing for the men involved.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book, 2 elite brigades of Union and Confeds through the first 75% of the war, all composed of volunteers. The face-to-face episodes between the brigades seem to be more than coincidental, where both sides threw their "shock" troops ahead of the rest of the regiments, etc. While the Stonewall Brigade has so much material about them, it's not the case with the Iron Brigade, and it was interesting to read about the Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan "Far Westerners", and how they had a different mindset, attitudes and what type of leadership they responded to when compared to the New England, New York and Pennsylvania infrantrymen.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant read on the Battle of Fredericksburg. It IS the military narrative for the battle and written well. If you wish to understand the battle, then this book is for you. Problems do arise because the book is heavy on the military aspect. The author gives you the name of each regiment in each assault. This may discourage some, but braving the military talk will provide you a deep understanding on the battle.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this extremely long book on my kindle and it took me about a week and half to get thru it. Mr. O'Reilly did a really good job in describing the action leading up to Burnside's assault on Marye's heights in fredericksburg, va.

[Phill · Rating 5 out of 5]

great battle account of the Battle of Fredericksburg

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book packed with intimate details of the battle. A definitive account of the campaign.

[Mark Levandoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine account of the campaign.Brigade and regiment positions and attack avenues explained and supported by a good deal of maps.Individual accounts also given throughout.Civil war buffs will love it.