Francis Augustín OReilly - The Fredericksburg Campaign : winter war on the Rappahannock

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In loving memory of Thomas J. OReilly, Ph.D.
Scholar, Teacher, Friend
1930-1998
T s faoi suimhneas le Crost ar r

OReilly forces us to take another look at what we thought we knew about Fredericksburg.... For anyone interested in battle tactics, this volume should serve as a primer.
Journal of Southern History

OReillys research has been exhaustive; his narrative flows deeply and smoothly.
Military History of the West

Destined to take its place among the finest of traditional military histories.
Journal of Military History

A highly successful book that must be called definitive by current standards. It is difficult to imagine anyone attempting another important book on the battle for years to come.
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

Thorough, comprehensive, and dramatic. The great value of this book lies in two areas: OReillys elucidation of the crucial role of time and contingency, demonstrated in the caution, hesitancy, lack of reconnaissance and coordination, and consequent delays that plagued Burnsides offensives at every turn, and the individual experiences of the soldiers, which are really the core of OReillys account.
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

Here is everything one would want to know of the Fredericksburg tragedy. OReilly has made an indelible mark for a Confederate victory that led Lee to comment at its height: It is well that war is so terrible; else we should grow too fond of it.
James I. Robertson, Jr., Richmond Times-Dispatch

THE
FREDERICKSBURG
CAMPAIGN

Winter War on the Rappahannock

Francis Augustn OReilly

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
BATON ROUGE

THE FREDERICKSBURG CAMPAIGN

Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright 2003, 2006 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America

Louisiana Paperback Edition, 2006
Fifth printing, 2013

Designer: Melanie OQuinn Samaha
Typeface: AGaramond
Typesetter: Coghill Composition Co. Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

OReilly, Francis Augustn, 1965
The Fredericksburg Campaign : winter war on the Rappahannock / Francis Augustin OReilly,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
1. Fredericksburg, Battle of, Fredericksburg, Va., 1862. I. Title.

E474.85.074 2003
973.733dc21

2002042861

ISBN 978-0-8071-3154-1 (alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8071-4068-0 (pdf)

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE
POOR BURN FEELS DREADFULLY
The Winter Campaign of 1862

CHAPTER ONE
TO CRIPPLE THE REBEL CAUSE
The Road to Fredericksburg

CHAPTER TWO
THE ENEMY WILL BE MORE SURPRISED
Countdown to Crossing

CHAPTER THREE
A SCENE OF WILDEST CONFUSION
The Pontoon Crossings on December 11

CHAPTER FOUR
A FIERCE AND DEADLY CONTEST
Fighting in the Streets

CHAPTER FIVE
THE MOST GOTHIC OF GOTHS
The Sacking of Fredericksburg

CHAPTER SIX
THE JAWS OF DEATH
The Battle Begins

CHAPTER SEVEN
A TERRIBLE SLAUGHTER IN OUR RANKS
The Federal Breakthrough

CHAPTER EIGHT
GETTING HILL OUT OTROUBLE
The Confederate Counterattack

CHAPTER NINE
CHEER UP, MY HEARTIES!
Frenchs Attack

CHAPTER TEN
THE VALLEY OF DEATH
Hancocks Attack

CHAPTER ELEVEN
A DEVIL OF A TIME
Howard and Sturgis Attack

CHAPTER TWELVE
THE DIE IS CAST
Deep Run and Griffins Attack

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE GATES OF HELL
Final Assaults at Twilight

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DECIDING THE FATE OF OUR COUNTRY
The Aftermath of Battle

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PLAYED OUT!
Dumfries Raid and the Mud March

EPILOGUE
Not the Same Troops We Started With

APPENDIX (2006)
The Order of the Battle

ILLUSTRATIONS

PICTURES

MAPS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I undertook this study five years ago at the behest of the historian William D. Matter. I wish to thank Bill Matter above all people for this opportunity. This book was Bills dream, and he personally scoured the country, from New England to California, collecting manuscript sources for it. He amassed the largest collection of Fredericksburg material in private hands. He has made countless pilgrimages to the battlefield to walk the site, pinpoint critical landmarks, and wrestle with my nagging questions on remote points. I particularly enjoyed discovering the Mud March routes with him. I see a little piece of Bill in every page of this book. I am deeply touched by his generous spirit and consummate historical skill; and I am honored that he trusted me with his book.

I am also deeply indebted to Robert K. Krick, Chief Historian of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. His unrivaled knowledge of Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia is only matched by his indisputable command of the English language. I have for years been awestruck by his uncanny ability to know always what I want to say. His editorial genius has proved to me that great editors make great writers. This work has improved in every way under his careful guidance and suggestions. Any shortcomings are purely my own.

My closest friends and associates rallied repeatedly to my whims and demands, providing a level of detail that surprises even me. I appreciate the efforts of all of them, particularly those of Colonel Keith S. Bohannon, a gypsy-historian and foremost authority on Georgia in the war; Robert E. Lee KrickKrick the Slenderof the Richmond National Battlefield Park, who sent me obscure tidbits and manuscripts from his many research junkets; and John J. Hennessy, historian, oracle of Manassas, and the keeper of the most thorough collection of information on the Army of the Potomac. Eric J. Mink, historian at Richmond National Battlefields, gladly shared information on the Pennsylvania Reserves and gave me many useful leads.

Terrain often holds the key to understanding the past. Noel G. Harrison, historian and author, and Erik Nelson, Fredericksburg City Planner and worldy philosopher, taught me the value of battlefield terrain in tying critical events to the ground. My historical colleagues at the National Park Service offered constant perspective and input. I am particularly indebted to Gregory A. Papa Mertz, Donald C. Pfanz, Janice M. Frye, Mac Wyckoff (master of South Carolina troops), Elsa L. Lohman, Keith Alexander, and Kelly OGrady (of the Confederate Irish OGradys). I am also indebted to Uncle Ford Maune, whose wit and willingness to keep me in cocoa strengthened my understanding of obstacles and approaches.

During my years of researching and writing, I made the acquaintance of many valuable contacts, who generously shared their knowledge and insight. I am wiser for working with Don Cearley of Fredericksburg; Dr. George C. Rable of the University of Alabama; Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Powers (retired)the historian of the Irish Brigade; Southern scion at large John Bass of North Carolina; lawyer-scholar Gordon C. Rhea; U.S. Marine Corps historian J. Michael Miller; Barksdale aficionado Major Steven Hawley of the U.S. Army; and the industrious historical duo Toni and Terri Jeski of Minnesota.

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