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The U.S. Army suffered (arguably) its worst defeat 159 years ago today...
Posted on 12/13/21 at 5:52 pm
Posted on 12/13/21 at 5:52 pm
December 13, 1862.
After fighting its way across the Rappahannock River and into Fredericksburg on the morning of December 11, the Union Army of the Potomac took the rest of the day and all of December 12 to cross the river in force and form up in front of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The latter army was entrenched on good ground behind the town. On December 12, Burnside proposed to his senior commanders the plan:
The main assault would be made below the town against Stonewall Jackson's lines and would be made by Major General William Franklin's Grand Division - which consisted of the First and Sixth Corps. While that was going on, Edwin Sumner's Grand Division (consisting of the Second and Fifth Corps) would demonstrate in front of the Confederate center at Marye's Heights - a position held by men under the command of James Longstreet. While Sumner's Grand Division held Longstreet in place, Franklin's would overwhelm and envelop Jackson, trapping Longstreet and forcing him to surrender or be destroyed. What followed was an ill-coordinate farce that did nothing but waste American lives.
On the morning of December 13, Franklin misconstrued commanding general Ambrose Burnside's orders and only sent a division of infantry under the command of George Meade forward to attack Jackson's 30,000 troops. Amazingly, Meade found the one weak spot in Jackson's line near a geographic high point called Prospect Hill and broke through. Confederates under A.P. Hill fell back in confusion as Meade's brave assault force penetrated the first line of Confederate defenders. With absolutely no one to support their assault, Meade's 7,000 men were soon overwhelmed by wave upon wave of Confederate reinforcements. As Meade's forces began to be pushed back, Franklin at last ordered another division under John Gibbon to support Meade's attack. They arrived too little too late, however, as the Confederates pushed Meade back from Prospect Hill and counterattacked into the open fields between the two armies. Gibbon and elements of what remained of Meade's division were able to mount a successful defense against Jackson's dogged attackers, forcing them to retreat back to their lines.
Of the 40,000 men under Franklin's command, fewer than 12,000 actually went into action against Stonewall Jackson's lines. For his incompetent handling of the battle, as well as his attempt to politically coup Burnside in the battle's aftermath, Franklin would be permanently removed from command and given a deadbeat assignment for the remainder of the war.
Meanwhile...the "demonstration" which was supposed to take place in front of a stonewall before the main Confederate lines along Marye's Heights was quickly escalating into a full-on engagement as Edwin Sumner ordered the Second Corps under Darius Couch to send division after division against the Confederates entrenched behind the wall. Well-placed batteries of Confederate artillery pulverized the Union formations as they advanced across the open fields before Marye's Heights. Well-protected riflemen from Georgia and North Carolina blazed away from behind the stonewall as wave after wave of Union infantry were cut down. By the time Burnside ordered the attacks ceased, four entire Union divisions had been slaughtered before the Confederate lines along Marye's Heights.
Overlooking the carnage from his headquarters, Robert E. Lee is said to have remarked: "It is well that war is so terrible, for we should grow too fond of it."
The Battle of Fredericksburg was over. The butcher's bill is among the most lopsided of the entire Civil War. The Union army lists its losses at 1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, and 1,769 missing or captured - a total of 12,653 casualties. Confederate losses, most of which fell in the fighting around Prospect Hill, were as follows: 608 killed, 4,116 wounded, and 653 missing or captured - a total of 5,377 casualties.
Historians to this day rate Fredericksburg as the worst defeat in U.S. Army history.
Battle of Fredericksburg - December 13, 1862
The Stonewall below Marye's Heights - Present Day
After fighting its way across the Rappahannock River and into Fredericksburg on the morning of December 11, the Union Army of the Potomac took the rest of the day and all of December 12 to cross the river in force and form up in front of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The latter army was entrenched on good ground behind the town. On December 12, Burnside proposed to his senior commanders the plan:
The main assault would be made below the town against Stonewall Jackson's lines and would be made by Major General William Franklin's Grand Division - which consisted of the First and Sixth Corps. While that was going on, Edwin Sumner's Grand Division (consisting of the Second and Fifth Corps) would demonstrate in front of the Confederate center at Marye's Heights - a position held by men under the command of James Longstreet. While Sumner's Grand Division held Longstreet in place, Franklin's would overwhelm and envelop Jackson, trapping Longstreet and forcing him to surrender or be destroyed. What followed was an ill-coordinate farce that did nothing but waste American lives.
On the morning of December 13, Franklin misconstrued commanding general Ambrose Burnside's orders and only sent a division of infantry under the command of George Meade forward to attack Jackson's 30,000 troops. Amazingly, Meade found the one weak spot in Jackson's line near a geographic high point called Prospect Hill and broke through. Confederates under A.P. Hill fell back in confusion as Meade's brave assault force penetrated the first line of Confederate defenders. With absolutely no one to support their assault, Meade's 7,000 men were soon overwhelmed by wave upon wave of Confederate reinforcements. As Meade's forces began to be pushed back, Franklin at last ordered another division under John Gibbon to support Meade's attack. They arrived too little too late, however, as the Confederates pushed Meade back from Prospect Hill and counterattacked into the open fields between the two armies. Gibbon and elements of what remained of Meade's division were able to mount a successful defense against Jackson's dogged attackers, forcing them to retreat back to their lines.
Of the 40,000 men under Franklin's command, fewer than 12,000 actually went into action against Stonewall Jackson's lines. For his incompetent handling of the battle, as well as his attempt to politically coup Burnside in the battle's aftermath, Franklin would be permanently removed from command and given a deadbeat assignment for the remainder of the war.
Meanwhile...the "demonstration" which was supposed to take place in front of a stonewall before the main Confederate lines along Marye's Heights was quickly escalating into a full-on engagement as Edwin Sumner ordered the Second Corps under Darius Couch to send division after division against the Confederates entrenched behind the wall. Well-placed batteries of Confederate artillery pulverized the Union formations as they advanced across the open fields before Marye's Heights. Well-protected riflemen from Georgia and North Carolina blazed away from behind the stonewall as wave after wave of Union infantry were cut down. By the time Burnside ordered the attacks ceased, four entire Union divisions had been slaughtered before the Confederate lines along Marye's Heights.
Overlooking the carnage from his headquarters, Robert E. Lee is said to have remarked: "It is well that war is so terrible, for we should grow too fond of it."
The Battle of Fredericksburg was over. The butcher's bill is among the most lopsided of the entire Civil War. The Union army lists its losses at 1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, and 1,769 missing or captured - a total of 12,653 casualties. Confederate losses, most of which fell in the fighting around Prospect Hill, were as follows: 608 killed, 4,116 wounded, and 653 missing or captured - a total of 5,377 casualties.
Historians to this day rate Fredericksburg as the worst defeat in U.S. Army history.
Battle of Fredericksburg - December 13, 1862
The Stonewall below Marye's Heights - Present Day
16
Posted on 12/13/21 at 5:56 pm to RollTide1987
Lee to Jackson:”I am worried that their men might cross that field”
Stonewall to Lee: “General, a chicken couldn’t cross that field”
Stonewall was right. Rebels cut Union soldiers down by the bushel.
Stonewall to Lee: “General, a chicken couldn’t cross that field”
Stonewall was right. Rebels cut Union soldiers down by the bushel.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 5:59 pm to RollTide1987
Sitting Bull says "Hey"
Posted on 12/13/21 at 6:01 pm to RollTide1987
The U.S. Army suffered its most decisive loss ever when it lost the battle against itself on wokeness and social justice.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 6:11 pm to SpotCheckBilly
Custer lost 270 men to Sitting Bull. Burnside lost thousands.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 6:12 pm to RollTide1987
Nov 4, 1791, Battle of the Wabash. A punitive expedition against Indians in present-day Ohio is annihilated. 90% of the force in the field is killed or wounded, comprising nearly half the strength of the US Army at the time.
quote:LINK
When Americans read or hear about the Indian Wars, they are exposed to the familiar names like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and George Armstrong Custer and his demise at the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. Little is known of the worst disaster experienced by the U.S. Army at the hands of Native Americans, which occurred eighty-five years prior to Custer’s last stand. It was a defeat that greatly overshadowed Little Big Horn not only in terms of casualties and brutality, but also in the consequences that resulted from the debacle. The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair’s Defeat, named after the expedition’s leader, Major General Arthur St. Clair, occurred on 4 November 1791, and was one of the first tests of the fledgling U.S. Army of the Early Republic.
Major General Arthur St. Clair (Library of Congress)
Major General Arthur St. Clair (Library of Congress)
Only two years after the ratification of the Constitution, the United States faced a challenge to its authority by the tribes of the Old Northwest Territory, an area which included present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota. Indian tribes were attacking American settlers at the encouragement of British agents from Canada and British troops still occupying various installations – a direct violation of the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War.
Prior to the Battle of Wabash, President George Washington had dispatched another expedition led by Brigadier General Josiah Harmar to quell the Miami raids, which were led by the Miami chief, Little Turtle. Faced with supply shortages and poor military planning, Harmar was soundly defeated by the Miamis and forced to withdraw.
Following the failure of Harmar’s expedition, another force was organized to march into the Northwest Territory to deal with the now confident Miamis and Little Turtle. This new expedition was to be led by Major General Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory and a Continental Army veteran. The force included the First American Regiment, a second regiment of infantry, 800 six-month volunteers organized into two regiments of levies, Kentucky militia, and a few cavalry, which brought the strength of the army to 1,400 men.
St. Clair, who was plagued by illness and, some believe, unfit to command the expedition, set out with his force from Fort Washington, near present-day Cincinnati, in September 1791. He ordered his army to build a series of forts along the route of advance through hostile country, which slowed the army’s progress. By November, St. Clair’s force was only ninety miles from where it had started. The force, which was composed primarily of volunteer militia, experienced desertions since the onset of the campaign. Faced with frigid temperatures despite it being early fall, and constant supply trouble, the men were weakened and demoralized by the time they reached the banks of the Wabash River. St. Clair further weakened his army by detaching the First American Regiment to look for their late supply train.
On the morning of 4 November, Little Turtle led his warriors against St. Clair’s force across the river. The militiamen immediately fled, running through the main camp. The Indians charged the main line, which held with musketry and bayonets. St. Clair led the regulars in a bayonet charge and had two horses shot out from under him. He received several bullet holes in his clothing and had a lock of hair shot away. The artillery was able to fire its cannons, but had little effect due to the guns being aimed too high. As a result, the artillerymen fought in hand-to-hand combat with the Indians until most of them were dead. Major General Richard Butler, who was in command of the levy regiments, was shot twice and died in his tent. He was the first of four American generals killed in the Indian Wars.
The battle raged on for four hours. Women who accompanied the army fought desperately alongside the men and were also among the slaughtered. St. Clair finally ordered the camp abandoned, leaving behind the badly wounded and supplies, and led a breakout charge. Those who survived headed for Fort Jefferson. The rest were scalped, tortured, and murdered, including women and children. Of the 1,400 regulars, levies, and militia, 918 were killed and 276 wounded. Almost half of the entire U.S. Army was either dead or wounded in the aftermath of St. Clair’s Defeat.
St. Clair sent news of the defeat to Secretary of War Henry Knox and President Washington, who demanded St. Clair’s resignation. Congress was in a state of shock and ordered an investigation into the defeat. In early 1792, Congress authorized an increase in the size of the Army and creation of the Legion of the United States. Major General Anthony “Mad Anthony” Wayne was selected to command this new force and was named commander-in-chief of the Army. On 20 August 1794, Wayne was able to achieve what St. Clair could not and defeated the Indians at the battle of Fallen Timbers. The new Legion of the United States also brought the first displays of excellence and professionalism that were to be the foundations of the Regular Army.
The House committee charged with doing the investigation eventually found that St. Clair’s defeat was due to inadequate forces, gross mismanagement by the quartermaster and contractors, and the lack of discipline and experience in the troops. St. Clair received no blame for the disaster and was permitted to continue as governor of the Northwest Territory until 1802.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 6:44 pm to cypresstiger
quote:
Lee to Jackson:”I am worried that their men might cross that field”
Stonewall to Lee: “General, a chicken couldn’t cross that field”
That was actually a conversation between Colonel Porter Alexander, Longstreet's chief of artillery, and James Longstreet.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 7:09 pm to RollTide1987
Nothing compared to the loss of a 3-8 Navy team.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 7:25 pm to SpotCheckBilly
quote:
Sitting Bull says "Hey"
Sitting Bull defeated a portion of one single cavalry regiment.
Lee defeated an entire army… soundly.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 7:29 pm to RollTide1987
I have visited this battlefield. Incredibly small (relatively speaking) to other sites I have been to.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 7:51 pm to SpotCheckBilly
quote:
Sitting Bull says "Hey"
Sitting Bull fought and defeated two companies of a cavalry regiment which totaled something like 200 men. There were 122,000 Union soldiers on the field at Fredericksburg.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 7:55 pm to RollTide1987
Southern hero:
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:04 pm to SCLibertarian
quote:
Southern hero:
Arguably the greatest field commander in American history and among the very best in world history.
ETA: also one of the greatest Americans of any era. His biography should be required study for students.
This post was edited on 12/13/21 at 8:06 pm
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:05 pm to RollTide1987
Stonewall might have changed the course of history.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:07 pm to Capt ST
quote:
Stonewall might have changed the course of history.
There would most likely have not been a Gettysburg campaign had he lived.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:22 pm to cypresstiger
quote:
Custer lost 270 men to Sitting Bull. Burnside lost thousands.
Custer only had 270 to lose.
Burnside at least has something left, other than a horse.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:22 pm to Darth_Vader
The loss of Stonewall did change the course of the war.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 8:32 pm to LSUDAN1
Just found this painting and it’s amazing.
quote:
PLAN FOR VICTORY Massaponax Bridge Fredericksburg, Va., December 12, 1862 Artwork by John Paul Strain
The signs were unmistakable: the attack was coming. For weeks, General Robert E. Lee's troops at Fredericksburg had been threatened by General Ambrose E. Burnside's huge Northern army. Now, on December 12th, reports indicated Federal forces were massing for the long-awaited assault. Lee's troops the Army of Northern Virginia were outnumbered as usual, but they held strong positions on high ground. To meet the massive attack by the Army of the Potomac, they would need every advantage.
To finalize battle plans, Lee conferred with his "right arm," General Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson, his cavalry corps commander, General J.E.B. Stuart and other key commanders. What emerged from Lee's battle plans was an almost impregnable Confederate defensive line at Fredericksburg. When the enemy made the attack, the Army of Northern Virginia would be ready. Lee had developed what appeared to be a plan for certain victory and it was. The next day, in a series of courageous but futile assaults, the Federal army would dash itself to defeat against the rock-hard Confederate defenses. The Battle of Fredericksburg would prove to be one of Robert E. Lee's greatest victories.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 9:03 pm to RollTide1987
I've been there, there is still minie ball and shrapnel scars in the Confederate stone defenses. Amazing.
Posted on 12/13/21 at 9:17 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
Arguably the greatest field commander in American history and among the very best in world history. ETA: also one of the greatest Americans of any era. His biography should be required study for students.
0-1 in wars. Was a traitor.
The actual best commander in American history. Also, didn’t ever fight AGAINST america.
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