The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee, included futile frontal attacks by the Union army on December 13 against entrenched Confederate defenders along the Sunken Wall on the heights behind the city. It is remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the war, with Union casualties more than twice as heavy as those suffered by the Confederates. A visitor to the battlefield described the battle as a "butchery" to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Gallant Charge of Humphrey's Division at the Battle of Fredericksburg
A piece of artillery forming part of "Longstreet's Line" on Marye's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg campaign, situation November 19, 1862 and movements since October 10
Skinkers Neck on the Rappanhannock below Fredericksburg, VA, 1862 sketch by Alfred Waud
Fredericksburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is 48 miles (77 km) south of Washington, D.C., and 53 miles (85 km) north of Richmond. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg with neighboring Spotsylvania County for statistical purposes.
Historic Downtown Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia, March 1863. View from across the Rappahannock River. To the right is the steeple of Fredericksburg Baptist Church, and toward the center is the tower of St. George's Church. To the left are two mill buildings in the manufacturing district.
The RF&P Subdivision rail bridge over the Rappahannock River in 2017
