posted by Savanah on Sep 3
I’m a huge American history buff, so when I was offered the opportunity to take the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg , I jumped at the chance. My dear, dear friend surprised me with airplane tickets and accommodations at one of the Virginia luxury hotels. When I arrived, my friend picked me up at the airport and drove me to my hotel. He could tell I was all excited, and when he told me the tour takes place over a few days, I was besides myself. He said, he managed to arrange for us to be tag alongs, he told me that apparently the tour is given by a different hotel where meals along with rooms were provided, but that he knows the people who put on the tour personally and arranged for us to just tag along.
The tour began the next morning, we met up with the other tourist after they all ate breakfast together. Ambrose Burnside was finally convinced to take the command of an army, which admittedly, he said that he was not qualified to lead. Nonetheless, he accepted the command to prevent it from being given to the all ambitious Joseph Hooker. Burnside understood Lincoln’s desire for a quick strike and a constant mode of combat. Burnside intended to meet all those expectations.
We first travelled to Warrenton where Burnside assumed command. We then followed his path to Falmouth and on to Port Royal, which was where the failure of the logistics train took place. We ended our first day at Lee Hill, where we got to survey the terrain that attracted Lee to deploy here.
The next day, after all the other tourist had breakfast, we went back to dealing with Ambrose Burnside and his initiatives. We got to see Franklin’s crossing where all the fighting on the south side was done on the battlefield. This is the primary Meade’s attack, Pelham’s artillery and Jackson’s defense of Prospect Hill happened. We then got to see the Slaughter Pen, it’s the site of the largest private preservation purchase in history, and Bernard’s Cabin. This was a full day exploring the open fields and on preserved battlefield land. We ended day two considering if Jackson could have countered an attack and why he didn’t attempt to drive Franklin back into the river. Very exciting stuff.
The final day, we were taken to where Burnside forced a crossing, starting at Chatham we looked at the upper crossings that were reported as being so contested by Barksdale’s Mississippians. We then crossed the river and examined the middle crossing, seeing homes that witnessed the drama. We got to understand just why assaults were so difficult to mount and why they failed. Wave after wave of Federal troops thrown in a senseless and futile slaughter against a well defended stone wall. When the tour was over, I felt as if I actually lived the 1862 Battle of Fredrickburg.
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