Fredericksburg, a Virgina city on the banks of the Rappahannock River, has served as a crossroads for both Confederate and Union armies. Confederate forces controlled the city early in the war, only to give way to Union forces in the spring and summer of 1862. The four months of Union occupation were tenuous, leading federal…
Delayed for nearly a month, Union Commander Ambrose Burnside finally launches his plan to cross the Rappahannock River, drive the Confederates from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and proceed south to Richmond. The first step of his plan requires the army engineers to construct pontoon bridges because the river is too wide and too deep to ford. In…
Confederate reinforcements are pouring into Fredericksburg, Virginia, positioning themselves across the Rappahannock River from Union forces in Falmouth. The city has largely been deserted by civilians. Anticipation hangs thick in the air, as a clash between the two forces is only a matter of time. Today, according to one eyewitness account (although disputed by some…