The Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, took place on May 3, 1863, in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...
, as part of the
Chancellorsville Campaign
The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign.
Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...
of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Background
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
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* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Gen.
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...
Robert E. Lee left
Maj. Gen.
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Jubal A. Early to hold Fredericksburg on May 1, while he marched west with the rest of the
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
to deal with
Union
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* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
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* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
Maj. Gen.
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
Hooker had serv ...
's main thrust at Chancellorsville with four
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
of the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
. Early had his own division, along with William Barksdale's brigade from McLaws' division and cannons from the artillery reserve; Early was assisted by Brigadier General William Pendleton of the artillery reserve. Cadmus Wilcox's brigade arrived on May 3, increasing Early's strength to 12,000 men and 45 cannons. Most of the Confederate force was deployed south of Fredericksburg.
Early was ordered by Lee to watch the remaining Union force near Fredericksburg; if he was attacked and defeated, he was to retreat southward to protect the Confederate supply lines. If the Union force moved to reinforce Hooker, then Early was to leave a covering force and rejoin Lee with the remainder of his troops. On May 2, misunderstanding his orders, Early left one brigade at Fredericksburg and started the rest of his force towards Chancellorsville; Lee corrected the misunderstanding and Early then returned to his positions that night before Sedgwick discovered the Confederate retreat.
Maj. Gen.
John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was a military officer and Union Army general during the American Civil War.
He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against C ...
was left near Fredericksburg with the
VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to:
France
* VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...
, the
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
, and the
II Corps division of
Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
John Gibbon
John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.
Early life
Gibbon was born in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fourt ...
. Hooker's plan called for Sedgwick to demonstrate near the city in order to deceive Lee about the Union plan. The VI and II Corps seized control of several crossings on April 29, laying down pontoon bridges in the early morning hours, and the divisions of
William T. H. Brooks and James S. Wadsworth crossed the river. The I Corps was ordered to reinforce the main army at Chancellorsville during the night of May 1. During the evening of May 2, Sedgwick received orders to attack Early with his remaining forces.
Opposing forces
Union
Confederate
Battle
![Conf dead chancellorsville edit1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Conf_dead_chancellorsville_edit1.jpg)
Sedgwick moved his forces into Fredericksburg during dawn on May 3, uniting with Gibbon's division which had crossed the river just before dawn. Sedgwick originally planned to attack the ends of Marye's Heights but a canal and a stream blocked the Union forces. He then decided to launch an attack on the Confederate center on the heights, which was manned by Barksdale's brigade, with John Newton's division; this attack was defeated. Soldiers of the 7th Massachusetts caught a glimpse of the Confederate right flank and thought it looked unprotected. One of their officer requested a brief truce to gather in their wounded. Without consulting his brigade commander, Colonel Thomas M. Griffin of the 18th Mississippi Infantry granted it, allowing the Union soldiers to examine it more closely.
Sedgwick launched another attack against this flank and Barksdale's front using elements from all three VI Corps divisions, which pushed the Confederate forces off the ridge, capturing some artillery. The first men to mount the stone wall were from the 5th Wisconsin and the 6th Maine Infantry regiments. Barksdale retreated to Lee's Hill, where he attempted to make another stand but was again forced to retreat southward.
Aftermath
![Fredericksburg_II_Battlefield_Virginia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Fredericksburg_II_Battlefield_Virginia.jpg)
Confederate casualties totaled 700 men and four cannons. Early withdrew with his division two miles to the south, while Wilcox withdrew westward, slowing Sedgwick's advance. When he learned of the Confederate defeat, Lee started moving two divisions east to stop Sedgwick. Following the campaign, Early became embroiled in an argument with Barksdale over what Barksdale considered a slight to his brigade in a newspaper letter that Early had written; the exchange continued until Lee ordered the two generals to cease.
Sedgwick had lost 1,100 men during the engagement. At first he started to pursue Early's division but then followed the orders he received the previous day and started west along the Plank Road towards Hooker's army at Chancellorsville. Gibbon's division was left in Fredericksburg to guard the city.
[Sears, pp. 375–76; Furgurson, p. 267.]
Notes
References
* Davis, Danny. "Return to Fredericksburg." ''America's Civil War'' 5, no. 4 (September 1992): 30–37.
*
Catton, Bruce. ''Glory Road''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1952. .
* Winslow, Richard Elliot III. General John Sedgwick, The Story of a Union Corps Commander. Novato CA: Presidio Press, 1982. ISBN 0-89141-030-9.
* Furgurson, Ernest B. ''Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave''. New York: Knopf, 1992.
*
Gallagher, Gary W. "East of Chancellorsville: Jubal A. Early at Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church" in ''Chancellorsville: The Battle and Its Aftermath'', edited by Gary W. Gallagher. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996. .
*
Sears, Stephen W. ''Chancellorsville''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. .
Further reading
* Parsons, Philip W. "The union Sixth Army Corps in the Chancellorsville Campaign: A Study of the Engagements of Second Fredericksburg, Salem Church, and Banks's Ford, May 3–4, 1863" McFarland and Company, Inc. Jefferson, North Carolina and London. 2006. .
* Mackowski, Chris, and Kristopher D. White. ''Chancellorsville's Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, May 3, 1863''. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2013. .
External links
NPS battle descriptionCWSAC Report UpdateNPS Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania County Battlefield siteSecond Battle of Fredericksburg in ''Encyclopedia Virginia''
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