kevikens
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Location
- New Jersey
I have always enjoyed visiting the city of Fredericksburg. It seems an easy battle to visualize and follow. One thing I have noticed, though is a tendency, both then and later, to castigate the Union forces for first attacking the city and then wrecking much of the place.
I agree that the sacking of the city, perhaps in frustration, was unlawful, impermissible, and just plain wanton, and an illicit lapse of discipline on the part of officers who did not do much to control their men. Having said that, though, I cannot but think that Southerners have been wrong to criticize the Northern forces for attacking the city, first with artillery, and then assaulting the place, driving out the civilian population into the December cold. So I ask whether or not Southern leadership must bear some responsibility for the ensuing mayhem by placing snipers within the city's waterfront district, shooting the engineers laying the pontoon bridges and prompting the North's artillery to fire into the city to clear the riverfront. My own thinking is that the Union forces were justified in opening up on the city, and, unwittingly, giving the rank and file the notion that the city itself was the enemy. Surely the Confederate leadership must have known that if gunfire came from Fredericksburg that would open up the city to retaliatory fire.
So I ask our members if the outrage over the Union troops venting their anger on the city has been somewhat overplayed and Confederate leadership's responsibility for putting snipers into the city somewhat muted.
I agree that the sacking of the city, perhaps in frustration, was unlawful, impermissible, and just plain wanton, and an illicit lapse of discipline on the part of officers who did not do much to control their men. Having said that, though, I cannot but think that Southerners have been wrong to criticize the Northern forces for attacking the city, first with artillery, and then assaulting the place, driving out the civilian population into the December cold. So I ask whether or not Southern leadership must bear some responsibility for the ensuing mayhem by placing snipers within the city's waterfront district, shooting the engineers laying the pontoon bridges and prompting the North's artillery to fire into the city to clear the riverfront. My own thinking is that the Union forces were justified in opening up on the city, and, unwittingly, giving the rank and file the notion that the city itself was the enemy. Surely the Confederate leadership must have known that if gunfire came from Fredericksburg that would open up the city to retaliatory fire.
So I ask our members if the outrage over the Union troops venting their anger on the city has been somewhat overplayed and Confederate leadership's responsibility for putting snipers into the city somewhat muted.