On December 13, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside ordered the Army of the Potomac to attack the entrenched Confederate forces of General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The result was one of the most lopsided Southern victories during the course of the Civil War. The nine tour stops contained in the Fredericksburg Expedition Guide will take you to the essential locations on the battlefield, places like the Stone Wall, the Sunken Road, and the Innis House, and explain the historical context of the battle and the harrowing stories of the men who fought there.

This tour was designed to allow you to customize your own battlefield experience. At each tour stop you have the opportunity to listen to a variety of audio stories about different topics or eyewitness accounts. Tour Tips: Be sure to look for the AR button on some tour stops. Click the button and you will be able to take your picture with General Robert E. Lee and other famous commanders of the Civil War. Also, be sure to start a travel diary and share your pictures with friends and family back home. They will get to see your pictures the moment they're saved. It's the next best thing to being there.

During the Battle of Fredericksburg, not a single Union soldier made it into the Sunken Road. Over 8,000 fell in the attempt.

The small monument across from the Stephens House site memorializes General Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, who was mortally wounded near this location early in the fighting on December 13th, 1862.

The Innis House is the only wartime building remaining along the Sunken Road. It stood directly on the Confederate battle line and served as a refuge for sharpshooters during the battle.

The Stratton House is one of a few surviving landmarks of the Battle of Fredericksburg. In 1862 it was part of a small cluster of buildings on the outskirts of town. As you look back toward the Sunken Road and Marye’s Heights, you have the same perspective as did thousands of Union soldiers on December 13, 1862. Here, in the shadow of the Stratton House, was the point at which most of the attackers could advance no farther. AR Opportunity: Touch the AR button to take your picture standing next to General Meagher, commander of the Irish Brigade.

By 1:00 p.m. Union General Oliver O. Howard advanced his brigades across the canal ditch to support the embattled troops of French and Hancock. But like the previous two efforts, Howard’s men were soon mired in front of the Confederate defenses exchanging fire as best they could. Believing that Confederate troops moving to reinforce the Confederate line were massing for a counterattack, Union Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis ordered his two brigades to shore up the Union left flank.

Here behind the only remaining section of the original stone wall, it is possible to gain an appreciation of the Confederate defense. The road is still somewhat sunken in this block and you can see how Southern soldiers could use the stone wall to shield themselves from Federal view and minie balls. Lee's artillery behind you on Marye's Heights fired over the heads of the soldiers in the Sunken Road without fear of hitting their friends. The commander of the Fredericksburg Artillery, Edward A. Marye, lived in his family's house, visible atop the hill, before the war. Ironically, his battery was posted four miles south of here during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The Marye House, known locally then and now as Brompton, currently serves as the home of the president of Mary Washington College. [source: NPS]

Lee's artillery on Marye's Heights fired over the heads of the soldiers in the Sunken Road. The commander of the Fredericksburg Artillery, Edward A. Marye, lived in his family's house, atop the hill, before the war. Ironically, his battery was posted four miles south of here during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The Marye House, known locally then and now as Brompton, currently serves as the home of the president of Mary Washington College. [source: NPS]

As the sun began setting on December 13th 1862, Union General Andrew Humphreys personally led his two brigades on their attack of the Sunken Road. It was not long before his first brigade lay in ruins in front of the Stone Wall and his horse was shot out from under him. Undaunted, Humphreys mounted a courier’s horse and returned to lead his other brigade forward. This time there would be no stopping to fire. He ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge the wall. “Officers to the front”, he yelled, “Never mind the obstacles in the way, Charge!” Sheets of orange flame greeted the Pennsylvanians. His men fell by the scores. The courage of these new recruits was no match against the Confederate fire. Another 1,000 men were added to the day’s casualty list. Humphreys’ men dissolved into the sea of bluecoats strewn before the Stone Wall. Darkness finally brought an end to the day’s fighting, but not before George Getty’s division became the seventh and final Union division to wreck itself at the base of Marye’s Heights. Union General Joe Hooker would later recall the end to the disastrous day saying, “I had lost as many men as my orders required.” AR Opportunity: Touch the AR button to take your picture standing next to General Humphreys.