This is the text from a Power Point presentation of a lecture I did on Maryre's Heights.
Hope this helps.
Assault of Marye’s Heights December 13, 1862
Instructor: TSgt Fred S. Powers
References
Lesson plan for lecture given at Keesler AFB, MS on May 1 2004.
www.historychannel.com www.ehistory.com www.nps.gov
Union Commander
Major General Ambrose Burnside
Army of the Potomac
120,000 men
Confederate Commander
General Robert E. Lee
Army of Northern Virginia
78,000 men
An Ambitious Plan
The plan was to force a way through the Confederate lines and open a line of advance through to the Confederate Capital of Richmond.
This required crossing the Rappahannock River, however, the pontoon boats that were needed to cross were delayed, causing a delay of several weeks
December 12, 1862
Once the pontoon boats arrived the decision was made to cross at Fredericksburg itself. The bridges were constructed despite constant sniping by General William Barksdale’s Mississippi troops.
General Burnside pushed the attack anyway, since he was always unwilling to change the plan once committed.
To Marye’s Heights
Marye’s heights sits to the west of the town. To assault the heights, Union troops had to cross a canal, then move up a slope, all the while under fire from the artillery units commanded by E. Porter Alexander, Lee’s chief of artillery, who boasted “A chicken would not be able to live on that field.”
12:00 p.m. December 13, 1862
The lead unit for the attack was Major General Edwin Sumner’s Right Grand Division, composed of the Second and Ninth Corps. Each corps had been split into smaller divisions and then into brigades.
First to the Colors
The first group into the attack was the Third Division, under Union Brig Gen William French, with the brigades of Brig Gen Nathan Kimball, Colonel Oliver Palmer, and Colonel John Andrews
A nasty surprise
As the first formation marched across the field they were met with fire from about 2000 troops under the command of Confederate Brig Gen Thomas Cobb, who had formed behind a stone wall running along the Telegraph Road.
Firestorm
As the Union troops approached the summit, the Confederates began to place their best shooters on the firing line, while the others loaded rifles. This resulted in a constant amount of fire that the began to decimate the blue clad formations within 15 minutes. They got no closer than 125 yards.
What were they facing?
Minie bullets, such as these, which can go through six inches of pine boards and smash cinder blocks at 100 yards.
Imagine what it did to the human body.
Also coming at them
Artillery shells, such as this Parrott projectile and this round shell, filled with powder and fused to explode above or within a formation.
Second Try
Soon, the First Division, under Union Brig Gen Winfield Hancock, with the brigades of Col Samuel Zook, Brig Gen Thomas Meagher and Brig Gen. John Caldwell made their move.
Irish Brigade
Brig Gen Thomas Meagher, Commanding
Consisted of 28th MA,
63rd, 69th, 88th NY, and the 116th PA.
All were Irish immigrants.
Irish vs. Irish
Facing them was the 24th Georgia Regiment. They were made up of Irish immigrants, same as the Irish Brigade.
Despite pleas to turn back, Lt Col St Clair Mulholland pushed his Union Irish troops to attack. The Confederate Irish wept as that successfully repulsed the attack. The Irish Brigade only got within 25 yards of the wall.
Another Failure
Hancock was forced to pull back with a loss of 42% of his division. (about 2100 men)
This was the highest loss of any division during the entire war.
Third formation up the hill
The next corps in the attack was led by Union Brig Gen Oliver Howard, this did not succeed either.
This effort cost an additional 877 men.
By this time the slopes below the heights were covered with the dead and dying.
Change of Command at the top
The Confederates were reinforced by Confederate Gen Joseph Kershaw’s brigade, who then had to take command when Cobb was mortally wounded.
Another Corps to the Attack
IX Corps, under Union Gen Samuel Sturgis, was order to make the assault, trying a flanking maneuver to dislodge the Confederates. This too came to no avail.
Burnside ordered a halt to the attacks in order to assess the plan.
2:30 p.m.
Several more tries was made in the afternoon, this time under the command of Union Gen, Joseph Hooker, again to no effect. This was followed by Union Gen Andrew Humphrey’s division.
Final Failure
Finally, Burnside ordered his troops back across the river, but only after surviving and wounded troops spent the night trapped on the slope
Why did it fail?
In all there were seven assaults against Marye’s Heights
All of the attacks failed because the Confederates were just too entrenched.
Results of the assault
Killed; Union:7000, Confederate: 1200
The Irish Brigade lost nearly 50% of their effectives.
Burnside would lose his command to Hooker.
What Happened to the Commanders?
Burnside would be reassigned as Commander of the Department of the Ohio, soon regaining a corps command with the Army of the Potomac until the disastrous Battle of the Crater (Petersburg, VA) in 1864. He resigned and went into politics, becoming first, Governor of Rhode Island, and then a Senator. He died in 1881
Lee remained in command until his surrender in 1865. He became president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee College). He died in 1870
Most notable quote.
It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it.
--- Gen. Robert E. Lee
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