A detailed, illustrated account of another Union failure early in the Civil War. In December 1862, things were still confused for the Union. Antietam had been a failure for both sides, and although the battle showed that the Union army could bring the Confederates to bay, it couldn't pin them in one place long enough to destroy them. In December 1862, General Burnside, newly appointed to command the Army of the Potomac, planned to seize and secure the town of Fredericksburg, and then take the Confederate capital of Richmond. Carl Smith's book details the epic struggle that engulfed the Union side as it crossed the Rappahannock on December 11, encountering stiff opposition from Lee's men.

Includes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack – 224 battle plans, campaign maps, and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities. Major Redway picks up his analysis of the actions in the Eastern theatre of the Civil War with his widely acclaimed book on the Fredericksburg campaign of 1862. Goaded by his political master Lincoln, Major-General Burnside assumed the offensive with the Union army in late 1862, planning to use speed and surprise to enable him to defeat the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee. His plan started to fall apart almost immediately as he failed to move with the requisite speed and, faced with choices between vaciliation and bold action, assumed the former. What had started badly was to end disastrously for the Union forces at the Battle of Fredericksburg, as bloody frontal assaults were delivered against entrenched Confederate troops. This book is part of the Special Campaigns series produced around the turn of the 20th century by serving or recently retired British and Indian Army officers. They were intended principally for use by British officers seeking a wider knowledge of military history. Author — Major George William Redway (1859-1934) 224 additional maps have been added.