Battle of Fredericksburg

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

On Saturday, December 8, there was a horrific street fight in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. Complete with pistols, rifles, and cannons, both the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia clashed in the Civil War’s first urban battle.
Reenactors in the 150th anniversary event of the first Battle of Fredericksburg carried weapons and gear from the shores of the Rappahannock River through the streets of downtown Fredericksburg, acting out the December 1862 battle. Thousands of spectators lined the City Dock, Sophia Street, and the intersections with Charlotte and Hanover Streets. The event was part of the weekend-long memorial called “Fire on the Rappahannock” as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial.

View slideshow:Dead bodies in the streets of Fredericksburg

 

 

Dead bodies in the streets of Fredericksburg

Photo credit:

Penny Anderson

    

Soldiers carrying flags and weapons marched and fought through the streets in battle formation, rotating around each company after firing rifles to reloading and continuous shots can take place. Soldiers followed barked orders with sounds of “left wheel, turn” and shouts of “company, halt!” At each company stop, the load roar of gunfire punctuated the order of “ready, fire!” Rifle fire echoed through the streets. Sulfur permeated the air with the stink of gunpowder.
Bodies of both armies littered the streets as the approaching Union soldiers marched down Sophia Street. Each company stayed in formation as each solider walked over the “dead”. The street battle commemorated one of the first events of urban warfare in the Civil War. Businesses and homes in downtown Fredericksburg had the pops of gunfire as sharpshooters targeted the enemy from the upper windows and rooftops of scattered buildings.
Confederate soldiers were pushed through the streets and the Union headed for the higher ground of Marye’s Heights. The strategy of the street fight worked for the Confederacy as this gave General Longstreet’s men time to fortify the higher ground overlooking the city of Fredericksburg. The reenactment of the street fight ended with cheers and claps from the crowds.

For more information on the Civil War Sesquicentennial, visit civilwar150.org.