Question

Why did union troops stage an assault on the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia?

Answer 1

The Union general at the time was pressured by Abraham Lincoln to launch a fall offensive to restore the North's morale and confidence in the Lincoln administration. His plans to capture Richmond, the Confederate capital, were influenced by the earlier general, who he'd replaced. He planned to capture Richmond by going through Fredericksburg. However, the platoon bridges that were supposed to arrive were delayed, which allowed Lee to fortify Fredericksburg. When the Union army finally crossed the river and attacked, they were slaughtered.

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Answer 2

Due to confederate defensive positions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Lack of pontoon bridges at the battle of Fredricksburg under General Ambrose Burnside caused the united army's passage of the Rappahannok river to be delayed by 10 days. During that period, the Robert E. Lee-commanded Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was able to gather and fortify itself on the opposing bank of the river. Confederate forces well-entrenched behind a stone wall defeated the Union troops after they crossed the river under fire and at considerable cost. In that battle, the union lost 18000 troops, while the rebels lost just 4000. After Pickett's Charge, they sang "Fredricksburg!" because this time they had a stone wall and a great field of fire on the approaching Confederate forces. With artillery assistance, some 15000 Confederates led the assault over a mile of open terrain against just 10000 Union soldiers (including reserves). The majority of the Confederates were killed while attempting to cross a livestock fence approximately 100 yards from the Union lines. They were killed by short range artillery (canister) and musket volleys. The Confederacy's pinnacle was the tree-lined area behind the stone wall that they scaled. It was Lee's only significant error in the entire war, and they were never able to recover from this defeat and the loss of so many seasoned soldiers and commanders. The onslaught nearly wiped out Pickett's, Pettigrew's, and Trimble's divisions, which lost over 40% of their soldiers to death, wounds, or captivity. Pickett's division sustained the most damage and was nearly completely destroyed.

In Pickett's division, 24 of the 40 field officers—regimental and company commanders—were slain, including 9 colonels.

The Federals yelled Fredricksburg as a method to hurt the rebels who were running away. The seasoned Union soldiers were determined to exact revenge on their dead colleagues after suffering a similar setback there. It served to act as a reminder to Lee that his numerous triumphs had relied on a defensive strategy and that he would never be able to create a meaningful offensive again.

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Eddie