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The United States suffered one of its worst military defeats on this day 163 years ago...
Posted on 12/13/25 at 8:06 am
Posted on 12/13/25 at 8:06 am
The Battle of Fredericksburg.
On December 13, 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac (commanded by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside) attacked the Army of Northern Virginia (commanded by General Robert E. Lee) behind trenched positions just south of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The attacks quickly devolved into fruitless headlong assaults against Confederate infantry and artillery positions centered around Marye's Heights. The outcome was a predictable slaughter as more than 7,000 Union soldiers fell killed and wounded before a stonewall defended by North Carolinians and Georgians. The Army of the Potomac suffered nearly 13,000 casualties total in the battle while Lee and his army suffered just over 5,500 total casualties.
The YouTube channel War Hawk has an excellent animated documentary on the battle with a very awesome battle map. I highly recommend his channel for all things American Civil War.
On December 13, 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac (commanded by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside) attacked the Army of Northern Virginia (commanded by General Robert E. Lee) behind trenched positions just south of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The attacks quickly devolved into fruitless headlong assaults against Confederate infantry and artillery positions centered around Marye's Heights. The outcome was a predictable slaughter as more than 7,000 Union soldiers fell killed and wounded before a stonewall defended by North Carolinians and Georgians. The Army of the Potomac suffered nearly 13,000 casualties total in the battle while Lee and his army suffered just over 5,500 total casualties.
The YouTube channel War Hawk has an excellent animated documentary on the battle with a very awesome battle map. I highly recommend his channel for all things American Civil War.
10
Posted on 12/13/25 at 8:36 am to RollTide1987
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!! 
Posted on 12/13/25 at 8:39 am to HeadSlash
quote:
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!!
Burnside was best known for his sideburns, not his tactical genius. His attack at what's now known as Burnside bridge at Antietam was another example of his "genius."
Posted on 12/13/25 at 8:40 am to HeadSlash
quote:
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!!
What you can expect from Temu Generals
Posted on 12/13/25 at 9:04 am to HeadSlash
quote:
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!!
Yep. You don't need to graduate from West Point to know that's a collassally stupid decision.
Posted on 12/13/25 at 9:11 am to RollTide1987
In Burnside’s defense, he tried telling Lincoln he wasn’t qualified to lead the Army of the Potomac
And did so on more than one occasion.
I put this arse whipping squarely on Lincoln, Stanton and Lee having a solid understanding of Burnside and the fact that northern newspapers were calling for an attack.
“It is good that war is so terrible, otherwise we would grow too fond of it”
RE Lee
And did so on more than one occasion.
I put this arse whipping squarely on Lincoln, Stanton and Lee having a solid understanding of Burnside and the fact that northern newspapers were calling for an attack.
“It is good that war is so terrible, otherwise we would grow too fond of it”
RE Lee
This post was edited on 12/13/25 at 9:14 am
Posted on 12/13/25 at 9:14 am to RollTide1987
Posted on 12/13/25 at 9:18 am to RollTide1987
quote:
The United States suffered one of its worst military defeats
So we lost to……ourselves. So the defeat was also a victory?
Posted on 12/13/25 at 9:50 am to CocomoLSU
Self-owned
Posted on 12/13/25 at 11:20 am to RollTide1987
Thankfully a cause based on Racism was doomed to fail from the beginning.
Hitler should have learned from the confederacy. Would have saved a lot of German lives.
Hitler should have learned from the confederacy. Would have saved a lot of German lives.
Posted on 12/13/25 at 11:24 am to RFK
RFK
You’re a white liberal male and hate black people more than almost anyone. You don’t have much room to talk.
You’re a white liberal male and hate black people more than almost anyone. You don’t have much room to talk.
Posted on 12/13/25 at 11:27 am to geauxbrown
Had the plan been a feint against Maryes Heights with the emphasis being on a well executed assault by Franklin on Jackson/confederate right the Union could’ve and probably would’ve won at Fredericksburg.
Jackson’s position over there wasn’t great and had all 35k men gone forward at dawn as originally planned I don’t see how Jackson would’ve stood it without massive reinforcements from Lee on Maryes Heights that would’ve in fact made an all out assault there possible.
But Burnside being Burnside changed the plans to limit the initial assault on the right to 4k troops, delayed it via poor and late communication, Franklin did an awful job according to everyone of handling the situation and this caused Burnside to meltdown and insist on a piecemeal assault against the heights that anyone who has ever stood on that battlefield knows was doomed to fail and so it became what we think of today: possibly the worst bit of generalship in American military history.
Jackson’s position over there wasn’t great and had all 35k men gone forward at dawn as originally planned I don’t see how Jackson would’ve stood it without massive reinforcements from Lee on Maryes Heights that would’ve in fact made an all out assault there possible.
But Burnside being Burnside changed the plans to limit the initial assault on the right to 4k troops, delayed it via poor and late communication, Franklin did an awful job according to everyone of handling the situation and this caused Burnside to meltdown and insist on a piecemeal assault against the heights that anyone who has ever stood on that battlefield knows was doomed to fail and so it became what we think of today: possibly the worst bit of generalship in American military history.
This post was edited on 12/13/25 at 11:29 am
Posted on 12/13/25 at 12:21 pm to RollTide1987
This is a prime example that although some battles will be lost...the morally righteous cause will ultimately triumph over evil every time. Unfortunately, the evil of men will never truly be vanquished thanks to time. New ignorant power hungry men will always rise somewhere
Posted on 12/13/25 at 12:48 pm to RFK
quote:
Thankfully a cause based on Racism was doomed to fail from the beginning.
Shut the frick up!
Posted on 12/13/25 at 1:32 pm to RollTide1987
When Lincoln asked of the outcome of the battle, the Gov of Pennsylvania responded "It was not a battle, it was a butchery."
Posted on 12/13/25 at 2:30 pm to RollTide1987
Really good link.
I wonder what would have ensued if Stonewall Jackson would have launched his attack as planned?
I wonder what would have ensued if Stonewall Jackson would have launched his attack as planned?
Posted on 12/13/25 at 3:48 pm to RollTide1987
That's a lot of graves up there.
Posted on 12/13/25 at 7:07 pm to HeadSlash
quote:
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!!
And yet the great general Lee saw this and said hold my beer 18 months later when he ran his army up cemetery ridge.
Posted on 12/13/25 at 7:10 pm to HeadSlash
quote:
Attacking uphill against an entrenched enemy, BRILLIANT!!
And Lee completely forgot this lesson 7.months later
Posted on 12/13/25 at 7:48 pm to RollTide1987
America don’t lose wars boy.
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