December 13, 1862Reputable sourceWell documented
The Battle of Fredericksburg
On the timeline · around December 13, 1862 ·
What happened
Union General Ambrose Burnside hurled wave after wave of troops against entrenched Confederates behind a stone wall on the heights above Fredericksburg, Virginia. The assaults were slaughtered; none reached the wall.
Why it matters
One of the most one-sided Union defeats of the war, Fredericksburg deepened Northern despair and cost Burnside his command.