BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Fredericksburg Natl Battlefield -- Jackson's Front

VA -- Fredericksburg Natl Battlefield -- Jackson's Front:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. FREDJF_140104_003.JPG: Lee Drive: The Confederate Line Lee Drive, the battlefield tour road, runs along five miles of the Confederate line. Along the way you will see the remains of trenches built by Lee's men, a Confederate artillery position on Howison Hill, and the spot where Union troops briefly penetrated "Stonewall" Jackson's line. Trails to the site of Bernard's slave cabins and Hamilton's Crossing provide opportunities to explore the battlefield on foot. Lee's line extended nearly eight miles, from his left on the Rappahannock River above Fredericksburg to his right at Massaponax Creek, four miles south of you (to your left). Between those two points, his troops constructed miles of formidable earthworks. Some were in place at the time of the battle; most were built shortly thereafter. Virtually all survive.
2. FREDJF_140104_011.JPG: Lee's Headquarters -- The Battle of Fredericksburg -- The hill in front of you, once called Telegraph Hill but now known as Lee's Hill, served as General Robert E. Lee's headquarters during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Throughout the afternoon of December 13, 1862, Lee and his generals watched uneasily as the Union army repeatedly attacked Southern troops in the Sunken Road. The Federal infantry became easy targets for Confederate artillery atop this hill and Howison Hill (a quarter mile to your left). The Union attacks failed. The grandeur of the struggle stirred Lee, and here he uttered one of his most famous quotes, "It is well that war is so terrible, or we would grow too fond of it." Still, the victory at Fredericksburg little satisfied Lee - the Union army escaped damaged but intact. The enemy "suffered heavily," he later wrote his wife, "...but it did not go far enough." Lee's relentless efforts to destroy the Union army would continue. This trail leads to Lee's command post. Although only about .25 mile long, the trail is steep. Allow 45 minutes for the roundtrip hike.
3. FREDJF_140104_051.JPG: Lee's Command Post -- The Battle of Fredericksburg -- This hill served as General Robert E. Lee's command post during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Before the fighting started, Confederate pioneers cut down trees on the front slope of the hill, giving the Confederate leader a better view of the battlefield than is possible today. To his left, he could see Fredericksburg and Marye's Heights. To his right was the broad plain in front of Prospect Hill and the right end of the Confederate line. Lee spent much of December 13, 1862, here, watching the fighting with General James Longstreet. When Lee expressed concern about the safety of Longstreet's men in the Sunken Road, his subordinate assured him that his men could repel the attackers, "Give me plenty of ammunition," Longstreet boasted, and "I will kill them all before they reach my line." Not a single Union soldier reached the Sunken Road that day. "It did me good to look upon General Lee and Longstreet during the progress of the battle and observe the complacent, cool and satisfied air yet intense interest which their countenances...manifested." -- Sergeant William B. Pettit, Fluvanna Artillery, Confederate staff officer
4. FREDJF_140104_063.JPG: Near Disaster -- The Battle of Fredericksburg -- On this hill on December 13, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee twice nearly met personal disaster. While firing its 39th round of the day, a 30-pounder Parrott Rifle (like the one in front of you) burst, sending chunks of metal across the hilltop -- narrowly missing Generals Lee and Longstreet. Later, a Union artillery shell fired from Stafford Heights, more than a mile away, buried itself in the earthworks at Lee's side. The shell failed to explode. Meanwhile, Confederate cannons here continued their deadly work, adding to the horror of Union troops trapped in front of Marye's Heights and the Sunken Road.
5. FREDJF_140104_076.JPG: Lee's Hill Battle of Fredericksburg Dec. 12-13, 1862
6. FREDJF_140104_085.JPG: Artillery on Lee's Hill Here and on hills to the left and right the Confederates developed a powerful concentration of artillery. The Napoleon: The bronze 12-pounder smoothbores called "Napoleons" were less accurate than rifled cannon, but remained the standard field pieces of the war. Sturdy and dependable, they had an effective range of about a mile. 12-Pounder Howitzer: These bronze smoothbores lobbed explosive shells in a higher curve than Napoleons. This made them especially useful among hills and valleys. Howitzers were manufactured in several sizes. Shot and Shell: Solid shot and explosive shells thrown into massed troops were deadly at long range. Scattering pellets of canister often broke infantry charges. Rifled cannon fired many kinds of shot and shell. Commence Firing! Sixteen men went into battle with a field piece. Each had a job to do. * Chief of piece, a sergeant * Gunner, a corporal * 7 cannoneers, privates * Chief of caisson, a corporal * 6 drivers, privates (1) Sponge the bore to quench the sparks before loading. Ram the ammunition charge to bottom of the hole. (2) Put ammunition into muzzle. (3) Close vent with thumb during sponging. Thrust wire through vent to break a hole in the powder bag. Shift gun in aiming. (4) Hook lanyard to primer. Place primer in vent. Jerk lanyard to fire the piece. (5) Carry ammunition from the chests on the limber or caisson to #2. (6) Prepare fuses. Issue ammunition to #5. (7) Help set fuses and issue ammunition. During rapid fire, help deliver ammunition to #2. Enfilading Fire: During the Federal attacks of December 13, 1862, Confederate cannon poured devastating frontal and crossfire into the advancing battle lines. Long range rifles here on Lee's Hill participated in the enfilade fire. 3-Inch Rifle: Spiral grooves, called rifling, inside these small iron cannons caused the projectile to spin in flight for greater speed and accuracy.
7. FREDJF_140104_092.JPG: The Big Parrotts: The two mammoth Parrott rifled cannon, one placed here and the other just south on Howison's Hill, were the largest Confederate guns on the field. Tredegar: The Confederates not only used captured Parrotts, they also manufactured guns on the Parrott principle. The two 30-pounders temporarily with Lee's army were made at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond. A smaller Parrott, like this Union gun, replaced the big one which blew up on its 39th firing. Lee, Longstreet, and other officers near the exploding Parrott escaped injury; so did the gun crew. Whitworth Rifle: While the smaller Parrott was filling the place, the Confederates were bringing in one of their Whitworth rifles, but it did not arrive until dark. This English-made breechloader could easily hurl its peculiar 12-pound bolt three miles. Robert Parrott invented this capable iron rifle. It was made in several sizes. Because cast iron guns occasionally exploded, the Parrott had a wrought iron reinforcing band around the breech. The 30-pounder Parrotts were siege guns. Burnside's delay gave time to bring them all from Richmond by rail. The huge seacoast guns were designed for use in large permanent fortifications. Siege and garrison guns were too heavy for rapid movement. They were used to defend fixed field positions or permanent forts. A field gun could move quickly.
8. FREDJF_140104_097.JPG: Lee's Hill: The Commander's Lookout: General Robert E. Lee used this hill as a command post during the Battle of Fredericksburg. It has borne his name ever since. Lee's View From Here: Civilians viewing this scene might have focused their attention on the picturesque steeples which mark the skyline today, just as they did in 1862. Lee's attention, however, was quickly taken up by the blue lines which made heavy attacks on both of his fronts. Chatham (Lacy House): This vantage point offered a fine view of the surrounding country. Across the Rappahannock, on Stafford Heights, Lee could see Chatham (the Lacy House) where Federal General E.V. Sumner had his headquarters. "It is well that war is so terrible -- we should grow too found of it." -- R.E. Lee, December 13, 1862 Lee uttered this oft-quoted phrase to Longstreet atop this hill while watching a Confederate countercharge sweeping down the valley of Deep Run, to his right. Lee's principal officers came to consult with him here. Longstreet and Pendleton attended the commanding general throughout the battle. "Jeb" -- "Lee's Eyes and Ears". Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart, commanding cavalry, Army of Northern Virginia "Old Pete" -- "Lee's War Horse" Lieutenant General James Longstreet commanding First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, Lee's left flank at Fredericksburg. "Stonewall" -- "Lee's Right Arm". Lieutenant General Thomas J. Jackson, commanding Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, Lee's right flank at Fredericksburg. Brig. Gen. Wm. N. Pendleton -- Lee's Chief of Artillery. Pendleton, a West Pointer, had left the U.S. Army to become an Episcopalian minister before the war. Lee was a vestryman in his congregation at Lexington after the war.
9. FREDJF_140104_106.JPG: The Pioneers: "My army is as much stronger for these new entrenchments as if I had received reinforcements of 20,000 men." -- R.E. Lee, December 14, 1862 Preparing Breastworks: In December, 1862, the Confederates had no organized engineer corps. For construction of defensive works they relied on pioneers, special detachments from each regiment. At Fredericksburg, the pioneers formed the core of Confederate work parties, but everyone pitched in to entrench the 7-mile line. The troops made effective use of existing cover. The men constructed additional protecting works. Lee's Hill was heavily wooded. The pioneers removed all trees in front of artillery positions. Trenches Now and Then: Civil War earthworks were generally tall enough to protect infantrymen standing up. After the war, the trenches eroded several feet before becoming stabilized by nature. Digging In: Fredericksburg helped prove the value of cover. By 1863, the soldiers in both armies needed little urging to make the dirt fly.
10. FREDJF_140104_112.JPG: Trenches at the Wilderness soon after the battle
11. FREDJF_140104_114.JPG: Road Cuts
12. FREDJF_140104_116.JPG: Railroad Embankments
13. FREDJF_140104_119.JPG: Rifle trenches
14. FREDJF_140104_121.JPG: Abatis
15. FREDJF_140104_125.JPG: Artillery Emplacements (modern view showing trees)
16. FREDJF_140104_128.JPG: Stone Walls
17. FREDJF_140104_131.JPG: Trench remains on the Fredericksburg Battlefield
18. FREDJF_140104_138.JPG: Second Battle of Fredericksburg: Chancellorsville Campaign May 3, 1863 General Lee conferred with some of his officers here at the start of the Chancellorsville Campaign. A few days later, Union soldiers overran Lee's Hill. Major General John Sedgwick, USA: Commander of the victorious VI Corps at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. A year later, Sedgwick was killed by a sharpshooter during the Spotsylvania Court House operations. Major General Jubal Early, CSA: Early lost this battle, but then helped defeat Sedgwick at Salem Church. The main Union force under Hooker, already shaken by the Chancellorsville fight of May 2-3, retreated during the night of May 5. Report on the action at Lee's Hill by Colonel Henry Coalter Cabell commanding artillery battalion, CSA: "... About 11 o'clock that day -- Sunday -- the enemy attacked and very speedily took and occupied Marye's Hill. As soon as they appeared on Marye's Hill, a large force of infantry advanced rapidly from the crest of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, on Harrison's farm, obliquely toward the position occupied by Captain Fraser on Lee's Hill. Both of my batteries opened and continued fire upon both lines of infantry inflicting great loss upon them. The ordnance reports show that a very large amount of ammunition of short-range shell and canister was expended. Captain Fraser defended his position to the last practicable moment. The limber chest of his howitzer was blown up, and he took off the piece with the limber of the caisson. He bore off the body of Lieutenant Habersham, who fell while courageously defending this position..." Fall of Lee Hill: After the fall of Marye's Heights, the Federals stormed Lee's Hill. A battery here was captured. Softening the Opposition: Union artillery from Stafford Heights, across the Rappahannock, hit the Confederate lines. The Southerners had only 10,000 men on their seven-mile front. Result of the Bombardment: Long range guns could reach Marye's Heights. After the battle, a Union photographer recorded some of the damage. The Stone Wall: This time, the Federals seized the position that had proved impregnable in the fighting six months before.
19. FREDJF_140104_144.JPG: Result of the Bombardment: Long range guns could reach Marye's Heights. After the battle, a Union photographer recorded some of the damage.
20. FREDJF_140104_147.JPG: Softening the Opposition: Union artillery from Stafford Heights, across the Rappahannock, hit the Confederate lines. The Southerners had only 10,000 men on their seven-mile front.
21. FREDJF_140104_150.JPG: The Stone Wall: This time, the Federals seized the position that had proved impregnable in the fighting six months before.
22. FREDJF_140104_162.JPG: Big Gun at Howison Hill -- The Battle of Fredericksburg -- Two weeks of Union delay before the Battle of Fredericksburg gave the Confederates time to bring up large cannons rarely seen on other battlefields in Virginia. The sturdy gun emplacements above you protected a huge siege gun, capable of firing a 30-pound shell nearly two miles. Ten men operated the cannon; typically, a gun like this would fire a round every five minutes. As they awaited battle, Confederate cannoneers cut down trees and carefully calculated the range to likely areas of Union attack. When the fighting started on December 13, 1862, the Confederate guns here on Howison Hill fired rhythmically on Union columns in front of Marye's Heights. The crossfire from Howison Hill added horror to an already impossible Union task.
23. FREDJF_140104_185.JPG: Confederate Artillery Defense About noon December 13, 1862 Army of Northern Virginia General Robert E. Lee, Commander Brigadier General W. N. Pendleton Chief of Artillery 304 guns on the battlefield Army of the Potomac Major General A. E. Burnside, Commander Brigadier General H. J. Hunt, Chief of Artillery 381 guns on the battlefield Smooth bore cannon had an extreme range of about one mile; rifled cannon up to three miles. Since long range fire was not very effective, defending artillery, protected by earth-works, blasted attacking infantry and prevented enemy guns from advancing too close. The Confederates made good use of both frontal and crossfire during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
24. FREDJF_140104_198.JPG: Fredericksburg Campaign: (Old-style NPS sign) December 13, 1862. Here, on the wood's edge facing the fields of the Lansdowne Valley, Gen. George Pickett's 9,000 men, including soldiers from Fredericksburg, held a vital part of Lee's line. The enemy did not attack Pickett's Division and the men remained inactive, though elements of the division were later sent to reinforce the defenders of Marye's Heights. A summer's charge near a little town called Gettysburg lay in the unknown future.
25. FREDJF_140104_213.JPG: Deep Run
26. FREDJF_140104_220.JPG: Fredericksburg Campaign: (Old-style NPS sign): December 13, 1862. Here in the Lansdowne Valley, Longstreet's right flank joined with "Stonewall" Jackson's left. Confederate infantry was deployed on the valley floor and cannon rimmed the hills behind, forming a deep pocket in the Confederate line. During mid-afternoon, units of "Baldy" Smith's VI Corps moved up the valley of Deep Run to attack the Confederates in this area. Federal skirmishers advanced to the railroad but were forced back to their original position by Law's Brigade of Hood's Division.
27. FREDJF_140104_243.JPG: Mannsfield Slave Cabins Trail: This trail leads to the site of the Mannsfield slave cabins. On the eve of the Civil War, these simple dwellings (now gone) were home to as many as thirty-five slaves. During the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederates turned the terrain surrounding the cabins into an important artillery position -- the focal point of violent combat between dueling cannons.
28. FREDJF_140104_248.JPG: Riverside Plantation: Mannsfield In 1862, the patterns of forest and field in this area reflected the historic uses of local farmers. The woods around you were in fact a working part of the Mannsfield Plantation, owned in 1862 by Arthur Bernard. They provided timber for construction, wood for fuel, and forage for roaming livestock. These woods were as much a part of local plantations as the farm fields themselves. On larger plantations like Mannsfield, slaves often lived far removed form the "big house." One grouping of slave cabins for Mannsfield stood in a field just beyond these woods--about 400 yards in front of you. "Bernard's Cabins," as they were called, were an important landmark on December 13, 1862. Confederate artillery swarmed around the cabins. Union artillery promptly responded, ravaging the Confederate batteries and leaving the homes of Bernard's slaves a shambles, never to be rebuilt. Follow the trail to the site of Bernard's slave cabins. Along the way you will follow a historic road trace and see Confederate earthworks and pre-war property ditches, likely built by slaves. No image remains of Bernard's slave cabins, but they likely looked much like these buildings, photographed not far from Fredericksburg after the war.
29. FREDJF_140104_261.JPG: Union Breakthrough: At 1:30pm, little more than an hour after Union troops began their assaults on Marye's Heights, Gen. George G. Meade's division penetrated "Stonewall" Jackson's line here at Prospect Hill. Meade's 3,800 Pennsylvanians advanced toward a tongue of trees that extended beyond the railroad, 500 yards in front of you. Because the ground there was marshy and considered impassable, Jackson had covered the area with only a thin line of skirmishers. Meade's men sloshed through the lightly defended gap, scattered a Confederate brigade, and seized a military road that ran along the ridgetop. For more than an hour, they struggled to maintain their foothold in Jackson's line. Confederate reserves poured off of the woods behind you, screaming the rebel yell. Disorganized, outnumbered, and unsupported, the Pennsylvanians tumbled back out of the woods, pursued by Jackson's men. The Union's best chance for success had failed.
30. FREDJF_140104_268.JPG: Death of Maxcy Gregg: General Maxcy Gregg fell mortally wounded near this spot on December 13, 1862. Fiery and uncompromising on issues of slavery and states' rights, the South Carolina lawyer had been an early and ardent proponent of secession. When war came, Gregg, like many pre-war politicians, sought a place at the head of his state's troops. Having voted to take his state out of the Union, he was willing to fight -- and die -- to keep it out. When, at midday on December 13, Union troops broke into the woods in front of you, Gregg at first misidentified them as Confederate pickets. He ordered his South Carolinians, atop this ridge, to hold their fire -- a fatal mistake. A Union bullet stuck Gregg in the side, piercing his spine. Two days later, he died, having assured the governor of his state, "I yield my life cheerfully, fighting for the independence of South Carolina." To reach Gregg's lines, Union troops plunged through a swampy gap in the low ground before you. The Union breakthrough not only took Gregg's life, it imperiled Jackson's entire position.
31. FREDJF_140104_282.JPG: The Meade Pyramid Usually thought of as a Union monument, the large pyramid in front of you was in fact erected by the Confederate Memorial Literary Society. In 1897, the society contacted Virginia railroad executives asking them to erect markers at historically significant sites along their lines. The president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad embraced the proposal, but rather than simply erecting a sign, he constructed a stone pyramid modeled after the memorial to the unknown Confederate dead buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery. The monument here marks the point where General George G. Meade's Union division penetrated the boggy gap in "Stonewall" Jackson's lines on December 13, 1862. Over the years it has become known as The Meade Pyramid. The monument is not accessible.
32. FREDJF_140104_296.JPG: Jackson on the field Dec. 12-13, 1862
33. FREDJF_140104_310.JPG: Dead Horse Hill The crescent-shaped earthworks in front of you protected the 14 guns of Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Lindsey Walker's artillery battalion, which held this position on December 13, 1862. Prior to the assault of Union infantry, artillery blanketed this hilltop with a savage fire. So many artillery horses perished in the bombardment that local residents nicknamed this ridge "Dead Horse Hill." During the bombardment, battery commander Captain Willie Pegram struggled to keep his men to their work. Several abandoned their guns and fled to the woods behind you. To inspire them, Pegram wrapped himself in a Confederate flag and walked calmly among the deserted cannon. "It was a time to test a man's courage," wrote one soldier. " ...Pegram's men soon returned." "The trees around our guns were literally torn to pieces and the ground plowed up. I have been several times covered with dirt, and had it knocked in my eyes and mouth." -- A Confederate artilleryman
34. FREDJF_140104_316.JPG: Jackson Holds Prospect Hill You are standing on the right of the Confederate army, held by Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corps on December 13, 1862. His 35,000 troops spread along a mile front--some in the woods, some in fields, some on ridgetops, some in swampy bottoms. In front lay the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Some of Jackson's troops used the railroad embankment as a ready-made earthwork. As dawn broke on December 13, fog obscured the Union army maneuvering on the plain beyond the railroad, concealing the fact that Jackson would be the target of the first major Union attacks that day. When at midmorning the fog rose, a staff officer remarked gloomily on the strength of the Union army forming on the plain. Jackson responded tartly: "Major, my men have sometimes failed to take a position, but to defend one, never! I am glad the Yankees are coming." "I could see fully half the whole Yankee army, reserves and all. It was a grand sight seeing them come in position this morning; but it seemed that that host would eat us up...." -- A Confederate artilleryman Jackson's men await battle along the railroad in front of you. While some of them used the railroad embankment for cover, others concealed themselves in Prospect Hill's heavy woods, behind you.
35. FREDJF_140104_350.JPG: Hamilton's Crossing The Battle of Fredericksburg This footpath leads to the site of Hamilton's Crossing, a critical supply base for Confederate troops camped near Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862-63. Prior to the Civil War, Hamilton's Crossing had been merely a flag-stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad line. But once Union troops occupied Stafford County, the trains could no longer run safely into Fredericksburg. Hamilton's Crossing, four miles south of the town, became the new railhead. After the December 1862 battle, Hamilton's Crossing burgeoned into a major supply base as trains from Richmond unloaded daily shipments of food, clothing, and other supplies for Lee's army. After the war, rail service to Fredericksburg resumed and the station at Hamilton's Crossing closed for good. Today, no evidence of it remains. "The Depot is removed from Fredericksburg to our Crossing....We are surrounded with soldiers, camps and all the paraphernalia of war. It is so exacting, and our feelings are so above the ordinary ones that we can't tell whether it is pleasant or the contrary." -- Matilda Hamilton, local resident
36. FREDJF_140104_360.JPG: Fredericksburg Campaign December 13, 1862. This is Hamilton's Crossing, the crossing of the Old Mine Road over the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Since the railroad was threatened from here to Fredericksburg by long range Federal cannon, Hamilton's Crossing became the railhead in the winter of 1862-63. A Confederate village of supply tents and sheds grew up at this point. Jackson's reserves lay along the Mine Road during the battle of 1862, and from this area his corps marched toward Chancellorsville on April 30, 1863.
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