— The Battle of Fredericksburg —

Artillery was an effective weapon, particularly when used in defensive combat. Nowhere was that demonstrated more clearly than here on Marye's Heights, where nine guns of the Washington Artillery shattered the ranks of the oncoming Union army. "The shells fell thick and fast, exploding with deafening roar right in our midst. Shattered, torn and bleeding, our column still pushed on," wrote one Union soldier.

Toward sunset the Washington Artillery's ammunition ran low and the battalion retired to safety. Colonel Edward Porter Alexander's reserve artillery galloped up from the rear to take its place. Mistaking the Washington Artillery's withdrawal for a general Confederate retreat, Union forces again pressed toward the heights, only to be greeted by the blasts of Alexander's fresh guns. The Union battle lines dissolved in the growing darkness.

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Show me all markers in:  Fredericksburg, VA  |  22401  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

The Willis Hill Buildings
Field of Battle
The Union Attacks Begin
Sunken Road Walking Trail
Confederates on the Ridge
The Confederate Line
Fredericksburg Battlefield
Thomas R. R. Cobb
The Stephens House
Willis Hill Cemetery

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