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Fredericksburg Driving Tour, #6, Prospect Hill
Transcript
Today, Prospect Hill is one of the most popular spots in the park to walk and enjoy the peaceful green space where a battle once dominated the surroundings. Observe the rolling hills and tree line in the distance. Think about how the natural features here would have helped or hindered an attacking army. How would you defend these heights? The Confederate 2nd Corps, led by Stonewall Jackson, occupied the defenses on this side of the battlefield. Confederate artillerists positioned cannons within the tree line, close to where the park road is today. The significantly larger artillery force in the United States Army would have difficulty locating and taking out Confederate cannons concealed at the edge of the woods. The same woods that provided protection also limited the ability of Confederate cannons to move. Troops here had to wait for Union soldiers to get close enough so that they could fire with maximum impact, hoping that the damage they inflicted would be worth revealing their position to a superior force. When US General George Gordon Meade’s division broke through a weak spot in the line, chaos and confusion swept over Confederate ranks. Sergeant William A. McClendon serving in the 15th Alabama Infantry, was a part of the Confederate counterattack that turned Meade’s forces back. He wrote, “When everything got right, Hoke ordered us forward, with orders not to fire until we had passed our men in front. We soon came upon them when we halted and was ordered to fire, and immediately we raised the ‘Rebel Yell’ and rushed on to the Yankees with the bayonet. They could not stand. They were not expecting such a deadly volley. They broke and we after them down the hill to the cut in the railroad where we overhauled a goodly number of them crouched down, waving white handkerchiefs to surrender.” Over the next few hours Confederate and Union troops would each cross the open field, trying to gain ground on either side of the railroad tracks, only to be repelled by the force of their opponent’s artillery. As twilight loomed, an uneasy peace overtook the battlefield. Unanswered questions lingered: Was the battle over, or would there be more fighting tomorrow? Despite Jackson's desire to conduct a counterattack, the terrain only worked in his favor so far as his own defenses. In the words of Sergeant William McClendon, “It would have been a suicidal policy for us to have advanced on them in the day time, for they had at least one hundred guns planted on Stafford Heights on the opposite side of the river that commanded the entire battlefield.” Instead, Confederate and Union soldiers waited in anticipation on December 14, 1862. Sporadic gunfire shook the nerves of men recovering from the previous day's ordeal. The dead and wounded stayed where they fell. In isolated incidences, soldiers from both sides made unofficial truces to bury the dead or trade goods. Sometimes they traded insults. Union high command debated whether they should renew attacks. Ultimately, Burnside’s commanders convinced him that the cost would be too high. The Army of the Potomac retreated. It was not until several days later that a burial truce allowed Union parties to revisit the fields to safely gather and bury their dead. With an army on either side of the river, the stage was set for a long winter. The US Army of the Potomac was demoralized and dejected. Many felt that they’d been used by Generals only trying to prove themselves or advance their political agendas. The Confederates, on the other hand, were overjoyed. In the face of a much larger force, they stood their ground and persevered. After the battle in the cold December night, soldiers reported seeing the Northern Lights, an unusual and rare occurrence this far south. Some Confederates viewed the sighting as Divine approval. However, all was not well in the Confederacy. Over the winter food became scare and the army foraged from the surrounding countryside. This intensified a food shortage triggered by inflation, poor transportation networks, and unregulated speculation of the available food supply. Discontented citizens, mostly women, took to the streets and led riots, looting governments food stockpiles and local stores. The war which both sides had expected to win quickly was taking longer than anyone had thought and was about to shift to a much more difficult affair. On January 1st, 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. After nearly 2 years of war, President Lincoln officially recognized that the United States would not succeed without acknowledging and defeating, once and for all, the issue at the heart of Southern secession: slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation declared all persons enslaved in rebelling states to be free and authorized the enlistment of black men into US military service. With this proclamation, the war took on new meaning, no longer simply a war to preserve the Union as it was, the United States Army would now be fighting to build a Union without slavery. In 1863, a new phase of the war began, but the bloodshed was far from over. In May, 1863, the two armies that had fought here at Fredericksburg would re-engage 12 miles west of town at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Description
The Confederate defenses at Prospect Hill, like those at Marye's Height, held up against Union assaults. The Battle of Fredericksburg ended in defeat for the United States and victory for the Confederates. In part 6 of the Fredericksburg Driving Tour, explore the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg. What changed?...and what comes next?
Credit
NPS
Date Created
12/10/2021
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