Fredericksburg Staff Ride: Briefing Book [Illustrated Edition]

By Ted Ballard and Billy Arthur

Contains more than 20 maps, diagrams and illustrations
The movement and details of the Union offensive plan at Fredericksburg seemed to be understood by all senior commanders; the North had a preponderance of manpower and artillery; a bridgehead was established on the enemy side of the river and initial objectives secured. Why did Burnside decide to withdraw his army back across the river to its original position? That question cannot be answered without viewing the pontoon crossing sites, the Union approach routes, the infamous "stonewall," and the other Confederate defensive positions. Accordingly, the purpose of a Fredericksburg staff ride is to visit these and other locations on the battlefield and analyze the battle through the eyes of the men who were there, both leaders and rank and file soldiers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Golden Springs Publishing
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782898573

Book preview

This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – [e-mail]

Or on Facebook

Text originally published in 2002 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

FREDERICKSBURG STAFF RIDE BRIEFING BOOK

U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

FOREWORD 7

THE FREDERICKSBURG CAMPAIGN 9

MAP 1 15

MAP 2 16

MAP 3 17

MAP 4 18

MAP 5 19

MAP 6 20

MAP 7 20

Burnside's orders to his Grand Division Commanders (extracted from the official records) 21

ORDER OF BATTLE — ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 24

RIGHT GRAND DIVISION (Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner) 24

SECOND ARMY CORPS (Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch) 24

NINTH ARMY CORPS (Brig. Gen. Orlando B. Willcox) 26

CAVALRY DIVISION (Brig. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton) 27

CENTER GRAND DIVISION (Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker) 28

THIRD ARMY CORPS (Brig. Gen. George Stoneman) 28

FIFTH ARMY CORPS (Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield) 30

LEFT GRAND DIVISION (Maj. Gen. William B Franklin) 32

FIRST ARMY CORPS (Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds) 32

SIXTH ARMY CORPS (Maj. Gen. William F. Smith) 34

CAVALRY BRIGADE (Brig. Gen. George D. Bayard) 36

ORDER OF BATTLE — ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA 38

FIRST CORPS (Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet) 38

McLaws' Division (Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws) 38

Anderson's Division (Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson) 38

Pickett's Division (Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett) 39

Hood's Division (Maj. Gen. John B. Hood) 40

Ransom's Division (Brig. Gen. Robert Ransom, Jr.) 41

First Corps Artillery 41

SECOND CORPS (Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson) 42

D. H. Hill's Division (Maj. Gen. Daniel H. Hill) 42

A. P. Hill's Division (Maj. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill) 43

Ewell's Division (Brig. Gen. Jubal A. Early) 44

Jackson's Division (Brig. Gen. William B. Taliaferro) 45

RESERVE ARTILLERY (Brig. Gen. W. N. Pendleton) 46

CAVALRY (Maj. Gen. James E. B. Stuart) 46

ORGANIZATION 48

SMALL ARMS 50

TYPICAL CIVIL WAR SMALL ARMS 51

ARTILLERY 52

CIVIL WAR FIELD ARTILLERY - STATISTICS 53

ARTILLERY PROJECTILES 54

TACTICS 57

LOGISTICS 59

ROADS, WATERWAYS AND RAILROADS—1862 64

PONTOON BRIDGES 64

Chronology of Events of the Civil War—1862 67

SELECTED BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF UNION LEADERS DURING THE FREDERICKSBURG CAMPAIGN 68

LINCOLN, Abraham. 68

STANTON, Edwin M. 70

HALLECK, Henry W. 71

BURNSIDE, Ambrose Everett. 72

FRANKLIN, William B. 74

HOOKER, Joseph 75

SUMNER, Edwin V. 76

SELECTED BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF CONFEDERATE LEADERS IN THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN 78

DAVIS, Jefferson 78

LEE, Robert E. 79

HILL, Ambrose Powell 81

JACKSON, Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) 82

LONGSTREET, James (Pete) 83

STUART, James Ewell Brown (Jeb) 84

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 86

FOREWORD

All orders have been issued to the several commanders of grand divisions and heads of departments for an attempt to cross the river on Thursday morning...I think now that the enemy will be more surprised by a crossing immediately on our front than in any other part of the river... The importance of the movement and the details of the plan seem to be well understood by the grand division commanders, and we hope to succeed.

Burnside to Halleck, 9 Dec 1862

I have thought it necessary to withdraw the army to this side of the river...

Burnside to Lincoln, 16 Dec 1862

What went wrong? The movement and details of the Union offensive plan at Fredericksburg seemed to be understood by all senior commanders; the Union force had a preponderance of manpower and artillery; a bridgehead was established on the enemy side of the river and initial objectives secured. Then why did the Union commander decide to withdraw his army back across the river to its original position?

That question cannot be fully answered without viewing the pontoon crossing sites, the Union approach routes, the infamous stonewall, and the other Confederate defensive positions. Accordingly, the purpose of a Fredericksburg staff ride is to visit these and other locations on the battlefield and analyze the battle through the eyes of the men who were there, both leaders and rank and file soldiers.