The Battle of Fredericksburg

The crescent-shaped earthworks in front of you protected the 14 guns of Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Lindsey Walker's artillery battalion, which held this position on December 13, 1862. Prior to the assault of Union infantry, artillery blanketed this hilltop with a savage fire. So many artillery horses perished in the bombardment that local residents nicknamed this ridge "Dead Horse Hill."

During the bombardment, battery commander Captain Willie Pegram struggled to keep his men to their work. Several abandoned their guns and fled to the woods behind you. To inspire them, Pegram wrapped himself in a Confederate flag and walked calmly among the deserted cannon. "It was a time to test a man's courage," wrote one solider "...Pegram's men soon returned."

"The trees around our guns were literally torn to pieces and the ground plowed up. I have been several times covered with dirt, and had it knocked in my eyes and mouth."
A Confederate artilleryman

Your feet can do damage. Please help preserve the earthworks by not walking on them.

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Show me all markers in:  Fredericksburg, VA  |  22408  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

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