PLEnlist

11 December in military history: Battle of Fredericksburg begins, 1862

Military history · 11 December · American Civil WarFull calendar

By

Pencil and white chalk sketch on tinted paper: soldiers in boats and on a half-built pontoon bridge work across a river, one man falling into the water, while smoke from gunfire rises in front of the brick houses of a town on the far bank.
Building pontoon bridges at Fredericksburg, Dec. 11th, a sketch drawn by the artist Alfred R. Waud in 1862. Library of Congress. Public domain. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LCCN 2004660225.
Quick answer

On 11 December 1862 the Battle of Fredericksburg began. Engineers of Ambrose Burnside's Union Army of the Potomac tried to bridge the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia, under fire from Confederate riflemen in the town, and infantry crossed in boats to drive them out. Two days later Union assaults on Marye's Heights failed with heavy losses.1

The Battle of Fredericksburg, 1862: slaughter at Marye's Heights

11 to 15 December 1862 · 163 years ago

On 11 December 1862 Union general Ambrose Burnside's engineers bridged the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg under Confederate rifle fire, and infantry crossed in boats to clear the town. On 13 December Burnside sent wave after wave of troops against Confederates dug in on Marye's Heights behind a stone wall; the attacks were cut to pieces, and the Union lost more than twice as many men.

Read the full story of The Battle of Fredericksburg, 1862: slaughter at Marye's Heights ›

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Fredericksburg on 11 December 1862?

Union engineers tried to lay pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock under fire from Barksdale's Mississippians. A heavy bombardment of the town failed to dislodge them, so Union infantry crossed by boat and drove them out in street fighting.2

When was the main battle of Fredericksburg?

The main assaults came on 13 December 1862, against Marye's Heights behind the town and Jackson's line to the south. Burnside withdrew across the river on the night of 14 to 15 December.3

How many men were lost at Fredericksburg?

More than 12,000 on the Union side and between 5,000 and 6,000 on the Confederate side: Encyclopedia Virginia gives 12,353 and 5,377, the American Battlefield Trust about 12,500 and 6,000.4

Notes

A number in the text points to a note; each note names the works that paragraph draws on, listed in full under Sources.

  1. American Battlefield Trust, “Fredericksburg”; National Park Service, “Fire in the Streets”; Ethan S. Rafuse, Encyclopedia Virginia. ↩
  2. American Battlefield Trust, “Fredericksburg”; National Park Service, “Fire in the Streets”; Ethan S. Rafuse, Encyclopedia Virginia. ↩
  3. American Battlefield Trust, “Fredericksburg”; Ethan S. Rafuse, Encyclopedia Virginia. ↩
  4. American Battlefield Trust, “Fredericksburg”; Ethan S. Rafuse, Encyclopedia Virginia. ↩

Sources

Battle honors of your homeland

The turning points of history

Marathon, Gaugamela, Cannae, Constantinople, Waterloo, Stalingrad: the days the world changed course.

The Battle of Marathon, 490 BCThe Battle of Gaugamela, 331 BCThe Battle of Cannae, 216 BCThe Fall of Constantinople, 1453The Battle of Waterloo, 1815The Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943

Based on your country, which we do not store · why? ·

Relive the great battles

Echoes of Battle brings the great battles of history to life, scene by scene on the real map. Enlist below and we will send word to your inbox the day it launches.

Or supply the campaign on Ko-fi ›