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Those Who Fought,
Those Who Fell,
Those Left Behind.
"Kiss my dear little ones for me, and assure yourself I will do all I can to save myself consistent with honor."
-- A soldier to his wife, three weeks before his death
For those at home, there would be no folded flags, no solemn processions, no formal letters from the government. There would be just a name in a newspaper -- the names of a dead son or husband -- or a scribbled note from a commanding officer. Sometimes there would be no word at all. Thousands of loved ones simply vanished, recorded as "missing," buried as "unknown."
More than 15,000 men died in and around Fredericksburg during the Civil War. Each death brought sorrow to a community for long before these men were soldiers they were fathers, sons, husbands, and friends; they were farmers, shopkeepers, churchmen, and teachers. Their death's challenged the will of each side to continue this most horrific of American wars. |