The Importance Of The Battle Of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was one of the greatest wins for the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Artillery played a major role on many wars during the American Civil War, but none proved to have more of an effect than The Washington Artillery had at Fredericksburg. This battle stood to see the most troops out of any battle that took place during the American Civil War, almost 200,000 men. The Union army outnumbered the Confederates by 40,000 men. The use of artillery in this battle is what makes it so significant. The artillery firepower the Confederates had gave them a clear-cut advantage. Defensive positioning and location of the guns were just a few things the Confederates had on their side. Weather and terrain took …show more content…
On this date in Fredericksburg, VA, the Confederate army set up a defensive position at Marye’s Heights. Marye’s Heights was a good spot for the Confederate army because the town is located on top of a hill behind the town. When dealing with artillery this serves as an important factor, giving you the high ground, just another advantage for the Confederates. For the Union army, adversity seemed to surround them for the duration of this battle. The winter months proved to take a toll on the Union army and hindered their approach as they got to Fredericksburg. Heavy snowfall delayed operations for a week. However, not only did the snow delay Union operations, before snowfall came, General Burnside had delayed his troops crossing the Rappahannock River for three weeks. This was poor planning and preparation on the Union side. An extra month of preparation and planning was essentially given to the southern engineers and the …show more content…
General Robert E. Lee and Colonel Walton had accomplished quite a feat. The Union army outnumbering the Confederates proved not to be a factor due to the effects of artillery. It appeared as if the Confederates had the Union army “right in the palm of their hands”. The loss left General Burnside and his remaining troops scarred and defeated. The defeat eventually led to General Burnside offering his resignation, President Lincoln accepted and soon appointed a new commander. The result of this battle provided militaries around the world with an idea of how to set up a strong defensive position using Field Artillery. For the Union Army, Fredericksburg was destined to remain a haunted name for the Soldiers that had survived the