Page:Civil War The 42nd Infantry Division of Bedford County Virginia.djvu/20



Two great armies were facing each other across the RappanhannockRappahannock [sic] River at Fredericksburg. President Lincoln had relieved General McClellan of his command and had placed Major General Ambrose E. Burnside in command.

These two armies just didn't happen to be at Fredericksburg, General Burnside had planned to cross the RappanhannockRappahannock [sic] River on pontoon bridges and defeat General Lee's army which had kept between Burnside and Richmond. General Lee had been there since he marched his army back into Virginia from Antietam, Maryland knowing that a crossing would be made.

General Lee had taken a strong defensive position on the south side of Fredericksburg several hundred yards from town with only a company of sharpshooters to fire on the Union troops trying to build the pontoon bridges; these were General Barksdale's Mississippi troops under General Longstreet. General Lee had Jackson's 39000 troops in battle line from below Fredericksburg to Hamilton's crossing, with part of General J. E. B. Stuart's forces guarding his right flank. General Longstreet's 40,000 men were from Jackson's left to Bark's Ford, Stuart's other forces guarding the left flank. Lee's artillery was on Marye's Heights zeroing in on the flat 200 yards between Fredericksburg and the stonewall behind which were 6,000 sharpshooters ready to work in four relays when the Federal army made their crossing and came towards Marye's Heights.

Over on Stafford Heights General Burnside was making his troops ready as soon as the pontoon bridges arrived to try his luck at crushing the Confederate army and marching into Richmond. He had divided his army into 3 Grand Divisions. General Franklin would cross the 3 pontoon bridges below Fredericksburg and make contact with Jackson's forces. General Summers commanding the right Grand Division would cross the two pontoon bridges just above Fredericksburg and storm General Longstreet's troops. General Hooker commanding the center Grand Division would be held in readiness to come to the aid of either division if it got into trouble.

General Burnside's artillery under General Henry J. Hunt on Stafford Heights would be of little use to him because of the danger of shelling his own men. He would use it only to shell Fredericksburg itself and this set the City on fire.