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The signs were unmistakable: the attack was coming. For weeks,
General Robert E. Lee's troops at Fredericksburg had been threatened
by General Ambrose E. Burnside's huge Northern army. Now, on December
12th, reports indicated Federal forces were massing for the long-awaited
assault. Lee's troops the Army of Northern Virginia
were outnumbered as usual, but they held strong positions on high
ground. To meet the massive attack by the Army of the Potomac,
they would need every advantage. To finalize battle plans, Lee
conferred with his "right arm," General Thomas J. ("Stonewall")
Jackson, his cavalry corps commander, General J.E.B. Stuart and
other key commanders. What emerged from Lee's battle plans was
an almost impregnable Confederate defensive line at Fredericksburg.
When the enemy made the attack, the Army of Northern Virginia
would be ready. Lee had developed what appeared to be a plan for
certain victory and it was. The next day, in a series of
courageous but futile assaults, the Federal army would dash itself
to defeat against the rock-hard Confederate defenses. The Battle
of Fredericksburg would prove to be one of Robert E. Lee's greatest
victories.
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