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Fredericksburg, Part 1: Burnside Devises a Plan

© Michael J. Swogger

November 7, 1862: Lincoln removed Major General George B. McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac for the second and final time. The engagement at Antietam Creek was far from a decisive military victory and accounted for the highest number of dead, wounded, and missing on any single day of the War, before or after the battle. McClellan did little to prevent Lee from escaping back to Virginia and allowed numerous chances for victory slip through his fingers. This was enough for Lincoln. Mac had to go.

Major General Ambrose Burnside replaced his friend McClellan. It was not a command he eagerly sought nor willingly accepted. It took three offers from Lincoln before he would acquiesce; doing so not because he had a change of enthusiasm and confidence, but because he knew if he did not accept, the command would go to an officer he hated, Major General Joseph Hooker (Goolrick, 1985).

No sooner did he assume command did his first order from the general-in-chief, Henry Halleck, arrive. It was clear and direct, and it left everything up to Burnside: "Report the position of your troops, and what you propose to do with them." Not confident about his ability to organize and lead this large body of men--110,000 men in all--but with no time to delay, he quickly devised a plan to send back to Washington for Halleck's and Lincoln's approval.

His plan to capture Richmond was rather simple but bold: move the Army of the Potomac south from Washington to Falmouth on the Rappahannock River. He would then cross the river and take Fredericksburg, the half-way point between the two capitals, before Lee could position his troops to defend it. Following the capture of Fredericksburg he would move his troops southward to capture Richmond. Of course, like before against McClellan, Lee would certainly be standing in Burnside's way at some point of the venture.

Map of Fredericksburg area

Expeditious movement was paramount if Burnside's plan was to succeed. He was able to move two corps to Falmouth by November 17, well before Lee could arrive with men of his own to block any crossing of the Rappahannock. Lee, in fact, had little understanding of Burnside's intentions at this point. He preferred not to fight at Fredericksburg, and he was not sure if the approach of these two advance corps was to be a feint or a full-scale assault. As a precaution, Lee ordered Longstreet to send out two divisions under Generals Robert Ransom and Lafayette McLaws from Culpeper toward Fredericksburg on the 18th. The cavalry of General W. H. F. Lee and General James H. Lane's artillery were also sent to Fredericksburg. Stonewall Jackson's men were to move closer to the sensitive area and Jeb Stuart's cavalry was to scout enemy movements (Goolrick, 1985).

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