George C. Rable - Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!

Any project that began so many years agoin 1992, to be preciseis bound to accumulate a host of debts. It is not surprising that my first research stop was the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, where Robert K. Krick has assembled a superb collection and equally valuable staff. The red and blue bound volumes in one corner of Bobs office contain copies of innumerable documents related to the important battles fought in the area and much more. Bob is unfailingly generous in making these treasures available to researchers, and as an extra bonus, visitors standing at the copy machine receive a steady stream of acerbic Krickian observations on all manner of things. Donald Pfanz also shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the collections, encouraged me to look at unprocessed documents in his office, and conducted an invaluable tour of the Maryes Heights area, including a successful search for the railroad cut where so many Federals faced, as they would have said, galling Confederate fire. Once my writing was under way, Donald kindly agreed to read the battle-related chapters and made many useful suggestions. Noel Harrison enthusiastically shared his wonderfully detailed knowledge of the local area and sites. Frank OReilly conducted an excellent tour of the area occupied by the Federal left and Confederate right that he so expertly treated in the best tactical study available on any phase of the campaign.

At the United States Army Military History Institute, Richard Sommers kept hauling out manuscript boxes and patiently worked with this neophyte military historian. A Mellon Fellowship from the Virginia Historical Society allowed for a very productive week of research in Richmond, where Nelson Lankford, Frances Pollard, and Graham Dozier made working with their collections easy and pleasant. As usual, the staffs in Special Collections at Duke University and the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina provided outstanding service. I also received excellent assistance at the William L. Clements and Bentley Historical Libraries at the University of Michigan. At the Library of Congress the staff efficiently answered questions and kept the manuscripts coming, despite being flooded with historians in town for a professional meeting. All across the country, archivists and librarians proved almost unfailingly helpful in responding to requests for information and photocopies.

Eric Walther proved to be a boon companion on a research trip to North Carolina, where he almost always chose good restaurants. At Anderson University two student secretaries, Kim Baker and Lori Miller, helped compile information on regimental casualties. As always, my great friend and former department chair at Anderson, J. Douglas Nelson, took a great interest in this project and in me. Doug knows very little about Civil War history, but this did not prevent him from commenting on this book or sending a few gentle barbs in my direction. I suppose the infamous Lunch Bunch at Anderson University deserve some acknowledgment for their fellowship and good cheer, but they areboth present and former membersa strange group of human beings. Nancy Leonard, Robert Kenzer, and Guy Hubbs kindly supplied some helpful research materials. A good friend, Phil Lambooy, provided much encouragement over the years as well as some valuable citations on religious materials. Three old LSU buddies, Marius Carriere, Chip Dawson, and Frank Wetta, asked some stimulating and often irreverent questions as we gathered each year for the Southern Historical Association annual meeting. Daniel Sutherland generously shared notes and photocopies from his own research on the Fredericksburg campaign. As is his wont, T. Michael Parrish kept my mailbox filled with fugitive sources and citations that I would never have found without his sharp eye and warm interest. Gretchen Schneider and her staff at the East Central Indiana Library Services Administration cheerfully and efficiently handled numerous interlibrary loan requests. William Marvela fine historian and generous friendshared much Burnside material and answered many questions about the campaign. Bill will not entirely agree with my interpretation of Burnside, but his efforts have shaped my thinking on the entire project.

Financial support from the Falls Faculty Development Fund at Anderson University and the Summersell Fund in Southern History at the University of Alabama helped defray travel and photocopying expenses.

Several talented people provided useful readings. Carol Reardon carefully critiqued the prologue. Three friends and colleagues at the University of Alabama lent their expertise to the project. Forrest McDonald offered some shrewd and invaluable advice on the Freedom chapter and introduced me to the Bowers Park tennis crowd. Howard Jones read the diplomatic history sections and always took a great interest in the project. Lawrence F. Kohl set me straight on the Irish Brigade and shared many insights on the Civil War in general. Lectures at Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State University provided early opportunities to test ideas about developing a new kind of campaign study. A shortened version of the chapter on the sack of Fredericksburg appeared in