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--- matteson_a_worse_place_than_hell [2025/02/13 17:56] – hleighty
+++ matteson_a_worse_place_than_hell [2025/03/09 20:48] (current) – 98.244.123.48
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 Various Union blunders were part of the loss at Fredericksburg. The material needed for the pontoon bridges took too long to arrive, giving Confederate forces time to occupy the stone wall and Marye's Heights past the town and an incorrectly identified Confederate withdrawal by Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock caused Union troops, including the 133rd PA, to attack against fresh artillerists under Col. E.P. Alexander. -Sarah M.
-Shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg, Senate Republicans cast a vote of no-confidence for William Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State. Lincoln met with the 9 senators who intended to overhaul his cabinet after the vote and defended Seward, intending to keep his same cabinet throughout the war. Lincoln also called all cabinet members but Seward to a meeting and imparted that they must all present a united front in defending Seward. After William Seward and Salmon P. Chase both tried to resign, Lincoln rejected that proposal and his cabinet continued with the same members, ending that conflict.
+Shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg, Senate Republicans cast a vote of no-confidence for William Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State. Lincoln met with the 9 senators who intended to overhaul his cabinet after the vote and defended Seward, intending to keep his same cabinet throughout the war. Lincoln also called all cabinet members but Seward to a meeting and imparted that they must all present a united front in defending Seward. After William Seward and Salmon P. Chase both tried to resign, Lincoln rejected that proposal and his cabinet continued with the same members, ending that conflict. -Sarah M.
 Fredrick Douglass gave a lecture in Syracuse in which he spoke some harsh remarks, specifically targeting Northern clergymen. He believed that the minister was strong and capable of influencing change in the country because churches served as a "breeding ground" for slaveowners. Douglass criticized them because the clergymen had moral hypocrisy: they preached the Bible but they didn't really resist slavery. (Hannah E.)
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 The wall that lined the base of Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg was built as a retaining wall on the Fredericksburg side of a sunken road. The stone wall extended north and south for about an eighth of a mile. It stood about four feet high, just the right height for a rifleman to rest his gun barrel and more than high enough to protect him as he sank down to reload. (Guy)
-Once the Confederate Army figured out McClellan’s plan, they decided to dig into Fredericksburg and the ridges overlooking the town and the Rappahannock. This provided great defenses for the Confederate Army during a Union assault on the town. Because of how dug in the Confederates were, it made it incredibly hard for the Union to push the Confederate Army out of the town. (Hank L)
+Behind the Sunken Road, the terrain sloped sharply upward. The crest of Marye's Heights was about forty feet higher than the stone wall. It was as ideal a place for artillery as the stone wall below was for infantry. (Guy)
+Guns on Marye's Heights had almost perfect command of the open stretch of several hundred yards between the stone wall and the western edge of town. There was one slight swale where men might be shielded from Confederate fire, but beyond the swale there was no protection at all. (Guy)
+Once the Confederate Army figured out Burnside’s plan, they decided to dig into Fredericksburg and the ridges overlooking the town and the Rappahannock. This provided great defenses for the Confederate Army during a Union assault on the town. Because of how dug in the Confederates were, it made it incredibly hard for the Union to push the Confederate Army out of the town. (Hank L)
+The failure for the Union army to beat back the Confederate army at Fredericksburg can very well be attributed to two factors: the delayed arrival of the resources needed to build the pontoon bridges, and Burnsides overwhelming need to be as timid as McClellan was. This meant that even with the delayed river crossing giving away the element of surprise, a crucial part of the Fredericksburg stratgey, Burnside still pressed on the attack, and essentially ran his troops into a fortified hill position. (Orion van Rooy)
+It was also interesting to learn that there had been a small urban skirmish within Fredericksburg itself, something you wouldn't really expect from the Civil War or Fredericksburg itself. (Orion van Rooy)
+Up to 200 000 troops fought at Fredericksburg on both sides, the scale being surprisingly high for me, as I always imagined Fredericksburg having been a relatively smalle battle compared to Gettysburg, Petersburg or Vicksburg. (Orion van Rooy)
+I found it interesting how the ministers would sing songs to the soldiers to help lift their spirits. This is one of the many things they did to try and push through the bloodshed and trauma of the war. (Lexi)