Battle of Fredericksburg

Even though the Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, according to Lee Krahenbuhl, General McClellan had more soldiers remaining than General Robert E. Lee had in his entire Confederate Army. It was a tactical mistake made by General McClellan to allow the Army of Northern Virginia to retreat without any interference. This was fitting with how the Union Army under McClellan had performed in previous action. President Lincoln had been previously outspoken regarding his General’s lack of aggression in Battle. He decided to replace McClellan with General Ambrose E. Burnside as the new commander of the Army of the Potomac according to Lee Krahenbuhl. It was the newly appointed Burnside that decided to attack General Lee’s Army at Fredericksburg, VA. The Confederates, about 73,000 in number, established their battle lines along strongly fortified hills named Marye’s Heights just outside of Fredericksburg. On December 13, 1862, General Burnside’s troops tried to attack the fortified hills in a brave but hopeless attack. The Union suffered nearly 13,000 casualties including those killed, missing, wounded or captured -and then quickly retreated. In embarrassment and disgrace, General Burnside was immediately relieved of his command at his own request. General Burnside is remembered most for his overgrown “mutton-chop” facial hair that would soon be the basis of what are commonly referred to today as “side-burns”.