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Battle of Fredericksburg (view source)
Revision as of 08:13, August 16, 2007
, 08:13, August 16, 2007→The sunken road
==The sunken road==
==The sunken road==
[[Image:Fredericksburg-SumnerAssault.png|thumb|200px|right|Sumner's assault, beginning at noon, 13 December 1862 (Hal Jespersen)]]
[[Image:Fredericksburg-HookerAssault.png|thumb|200px|right|Hooker's assault at 3:30 in the afternoon, 13 December 1862 (Hal Jespersen)]]
Sumner's first assault began at noon and set the pattern for a ghastly series of attacks that continued, one after another, until dark. As soon as the Northerners marched out of Fredericksburg, Longstreet's artillery wreaked havoc on the crisp blue formations. The Unionists then encountered a deadly bottleneck at the canal ditch which was spanned by partially-destroyed bridges at only three places. Once across this obstacle, the attackers established shallow battle lines under cover of a slight bluff that shielded them from Rebel eyes.
Sumner's first assault began at noon and set the pattern for a ghastly series of attacks that continued, one after another, until dark. As soon as the Northerners marched out of Fredericksburg, Longstreet's artillery wreaked havoc on the crisp blue formations. The Unionists then encountered a deadly bottleneck at the canal ditch which was spanned by partially-destroyed bridges at only three places. Once across this obstacle, the attackers established shallow battle lines under cover of a slight bluff that shielded them from Rebel eyes.