The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in December 1862, a time when armies had ended active campaigning and were settling into their camps for the winter. However, President Abraham Lincoln desperately wanted a battlefield victory before the year ended to bolster support for the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Having replaced the lackluster and politically motivated General George McClellan at the head of the Army of the Potomac, he was counting on General Ambrose Burnside to provide victory and lend authority to the proclamation. Though inexperienced in overall command, could Burnside deliver?

Included with Museum Admission/ Free to Members