Fredericksburg, Virginia was one of the most lopsided Confederate victories of the Civil War. Even with a superior number of forces it was virtually suicidal for the Union to attack Lee in a strong defensive position.
Marye’s Heights dominated the battlefield and was protected against Union assault at the foot of the heights by Georgia sharpshooters who helped repulse as many as fourteen separate, piecemeal Union assaults on December 13, 1862.
Burnside ordered a renewed attack on the 14th which he himself intended to lead but was persuaded not to attempt an attack by virtually all of his superior officers, who now questioned their commander’s judgment. On the 14th in Washington, D.C., a concerned Abraham Lincoln held a series of conferences with his advisors and generals about the fiasco at Fredericksburg.