Confederate Defenses in December 1862

In December 1862, General Robert E. Lee deployed his Confederate army along a series of hills around Fredericksburg, with Fall Hill anchoring the line at the Rappahannock River. Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox and his brigade of Alabama troops took position around a brick mansion at the top of the hill and spread across the high ground. On December 11th, Union artillery bombarded Fredericksburg in support of Federal infantry forcing its way across the river, and many residents fled west along the roadway. On December 13th, the Federals launched several attacks in and south of town; although no attack came in this area, Union artillery across the river still delivered intense fire. That day, Wilcox and his Alabamians held this end of the Confederate line as the Federals attacked the heights near town.

Fredericksburg, Virginia · United States