Some more history

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Over 15000 buried there, less than 3000 marked graves. Like Genesis said in another post bodies were all over the region and decomposed and were unidentifiable.F burg cemetary.jpg
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Yankee grave site. F burg cemetary yankee grave.jpg

Confederate Soldiers Grave. The number is the plot number, the other number is the number of bodies buried there.
F burg cemetary CSA grave.jpg
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Chatham Manor. On the opposite side of the Rappahannaok River from Fredericksburg was over taken as a command post and make shift hospital by the Yankees Prior to the battle. Burnsides could have have a quick victory had he been able to cross the river quickly but due to a mix up in orders to build the pontoon bridges the crossing into Fredericksburg was delayed allowing Stonewall to march from the Shenandoah valley and get into position before they tried to cross.
F burg Chatham Manor.jpg
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
While trying to build the bridges the Yankees came under sniper fire from the town of Fredericksburg so they ordered a bombardment that had not been seen up to that time. Over 5000 cannon shots into the town destroyed it.
The looting that took place later was noted even by the Yankees some of whom were embarrassed by the behavior. View from Chatham towards the cityF burg cannon at Chatham.jpg The CSA was not actually in the city itself but up on a hill behind the city in a place called Mayre's Heights. This is a view from Mayre's Heights. You can see the church steeple in each photo which was there during the war.
F burg church from Mayre's heights.jpg
 
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BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
The CSA stronghold was a road called sunken road as the road was loacated up a steep hill on the Southern side of the river and was behind a stone wall for over 500 yards. The Yankees suffered trying to get up that hill and eventually asked for a cease fire which RE Lee accepted so they could collect their dead and wounded. Some things that I find amazing about the times was the degree of Gentlemanly behavior. For Lee to allow this is crazy for me to understand.
This battle took place about 6 months before the battle of Chancellorsville that I posted previous.
During those 6 months the Yankees retreated back across the river after they had taken the town???
and there are letters from both sides how the soldiers from both sides would call each other names across the river,
tell jokes, and even make makeshift little boats to sail across to their adversaries.f burg sunken road.jpgF burg Sunken road pic.jpg
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Bonus material. John Smith (Pocahantas) Traveled up the Rappahannock as far as he could go in 1608.
He was captured by some local Indians and convinced (or escaped or Pocahontas had him freed) them to let him go but used their information to make map that was used for years after and was amazingly accurate. Fredericksburg is a Fall Line town. Which are generally as far upstream as a boat can navigate from the ocean. This spot is marked on his map as a cross noting as far as he went upstream. The river upstream is rocky and full of rapids, downstream in sandy and much slower flowing.F burg John Smith marker.jpg
 
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genesis27:3

Old Mossy Horns
I was wondering if "sunken road" was still there. You've answered that question for me.
Speaking of how the enemy's interacted with each other. There's alot of stories of that. It made me think of when Sherman was in Atlanta, and before Hood left, one of the soldiers played, I can't remember the exact instrument, so beautifully (when not fighting) that both side would stop and and enjoy the entire time he played. I love those kind of stories.
 
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BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Now I'll have to go to Atlanta^. Lol. It is as ironic as one could imagine. Killing each other one minute then, Ok let's stop the killing so my enemy can regroup and take care of the injured. The level of respect is noted over and over. I was reminded when I went to Appomattox court house and how the Yankees stood at attention for the CSA soldiers. It is why I like to read actual soldier letters when I can. They really tell how people felt not how history or the Gov't wanted them to feel. IMO I think the soldiers on both sides were only doing what they thought was right.
 
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roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Found this one:


On the eve of the Battle of Stones River, Murfreesboro, TN…Confederate & Union bands played and soldiers sang together…

< snip >

As dread deepened, the various military bands attached to both armies tried to lift the oppressive mood by playing some of their favorite compositions. A musical battle between the bands soon ensued with Union and Confederate bands trying to drown out the other side.

The Confederate&#8217;s &#8220;Bonny Blue Flag&#8221; was answered by &#8220;Hail, Columbia.&#8221; &#8220;Yankee Doodle&#8221; echoed &#8220;Dixie&#8221;. Eventually, lively patriotic tunes faded away as one brass band began the lonesome strains of &#8220;Home Sweet Home.&#8221; &#8220;To thee, I&#8217;ll return, overburdened with care, The heart&#8217;s dearest solace will smile on me there. No more from that cottage again will I roam, Be it ever so humble, there&#8217;s no place like home.&#8221;

Then bands from both sides ended the North-South competition and joined in on the mournful song with thousands of troops stopping to sing the chorus: &#8220;Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home! There&#8217;s no place like home, there&#8217;s no place like home.&#8221;

http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/bands-battled-on-eve-of-stones-river-clash/
 

genesis27:3

Old Mossy Horns
Stories like those are what I love to read about most. Sheer numbers in each generals army, and the casualties from each battle, are just incredible to hear.
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks RB. I'll be reading into that too. A level of respect for each other before they are going to fight to the death. I wonder how the folks of those days would view this society today.
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Few more of the river. it had been dammed from the 1800's until I think 2006. The removal allowed herring, shad, and Striped Bass to move up river again. I had wished I brought my rod but it has been too cold and windy for me.
Some Canadian Honkers must have dropped something.
F Burg Canadian Honkers bottoms up.jpg

The next 2 pictures are from the same spot. At the fall line. Looking upstream, rocks and rapids. Downstream mellows out.F burg Rapp River upstream.jpg
F burg Rapp river below the fall line.jpg
F burg Rapp River upstream.jpg
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
Chatham Manor. On the opposite side of the Rappahannaok River from Fredericksburg was over taken as a command post and make shift hospital by the Yankees Prior to the battle. Burnsides could have have a quick victory had he been able to cross the river quickly but due to a mix up in orders to build the pontoon bridges the crossing into Fredericksburg was delayed allowing Stonewall to march from the Shenandoah valley and get into position before they tried to cross.

Burnside seemed to have a problem crossing bodies of water. He drug around at Sharpsburg attempting to cross Antietam Creek on what they started calling "Burnside's Bridge" as Georgia sharpshooters on the opposing bluff inflicted over 500 casualties while only suffering about 160 of their own. The bloody lane, Miller's cornfield and the Hagerstown Pike at that battle are depressing places to walk through due to the carnage that occurred there.

Burnside wore these huge mutton chop sideburns and they are the reason that part of a man's head is now called "sideburns".
 
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BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
Burnside seemed to have a problem crossing bodies of water. He drug around at Sharpsburg attempting to cross Antietam Creek on what they started calling "Burnside's Bridge" as Georgia sharpshooters on the opposing bluff inflicted over 500 casualties while only suffering about 160 of their own. The bloody lane, Miller's cornfield and the Hagerstown Pike at that battle are depressing places to walk through due to the carnage that occurred there.

Burnside wore these huge mutton chop sideburns and they are the reason that part of a man's head is now called "sideburns".

I didn't know that about the bridges BW. The sideburns I knew. He was relieved of duty after his failure at Fredericksburg. In his defense it really wasn't his fault the bridge wasn't built in time. It was classic Gov't red tape. Some how the order either never made it to DC or never made it out in time and the engineers that were going to over see building of the bridge showed up a month later. Too late.
 
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