Fredericksburg

Under command of General Ambrose Burnside, the first elements of the Army of the Potomac began to arrive in Falmouth, Virginia on November 17th, 1862; Burnside's plan of operations called for pontoon bridges to be sent ahead and assembled so that the AotP could cross the Rappahannock and take Fredericksburg.

Due to bureaucratic ineptitude on the part of the Union supply system, the pontooons didn't arrive on time and Burnside was forced to wait until they did; we all know what happened next.

However, what if the bridging equipment arrived when Burnside needed it?

The AotP would certainly have been able to take Fredericksburg, as there were only 500 Confederate troops in the town. Then, Burnside would have been able to take up positions on Mayre's Heights west of town and very possibly, defeat General Longstreet's 1st Corps.
 
If Burnside crossed the entire Army of the Potomac between November 20-22, the only immediate opposition would be Stuart’s cavalry with McLaws’ and Ransom’s Divisions close by. Lee had decided on November 20 to fight at North Anna and changed his mind when Burnside’s delay provided an excellent opportunity. Marye's Heights is a formidable position but the battle of Second Fredericksburg shows that an outnumbered force can be outflanked off the heights.

By November 24 Longstreet’s and Stuart’s forces, an aggregate of just below 40,000 Confederates, would be concentrated in defensive positions around the North Anna while Jackson’s Corps marches to their aid. Still, Burnside had the disadvantage in terms of logistics as atrocious roads and broken rails made feeding his men difficult. IOTL, he ordered his quartermasters to gather a twelve-day supply of provisions and commissary stores. Jackson’s location was also unknown to Union commanders. Winter was also setting in, meaning there was only one more month before military operations had to come to an end for winter camps. Burnside could:
  1. establish winter camps at Fredericksburg and resume the campaign when May begins. This is fairly unlikely for Burnside. The man was pressured by Washington to win a major battle for the sake of the Emancipation Proclamation. Besides, it would seem like a waste to throw away the initiative after surprisingly Lee badly.
  2. attacks Lee's North Anna position. Lee's North Anna position is formidable, so long as Lee strongly contests the crossings, Burnside will have a hard fight securing a crossing. The main advantage Burnside can expect is his overwhelming numerical superiority over Longstreet. If Burnside breaks through one of the crossings, Longstreet will have a hard time containing the breach. However, if Jackson arrives a successful crossing becomes a double-edged sword. If Lee throws a strong counterattack against one of Burnside's bridgeheads, it is probable that the bridgehead collapses with heavy losses. Alternatively, Jackson could strike Burnside’s rear as Lee thought of on November 23. Whatever the result may be, Burnside must go into winter camps fairly soon. There was not much time to continue the campaign before winter made operations too difficult.
On the other hand, having the Army of the Potomac on the southern side of the Rappahannock means that the Unionists could shift to the Virginia Peninsula and besiege Richmond from there or cross the James using transports to Petersburg in the next campaign, outflanking the formidable North Anna line.
 
Let's say Burnside does manage to defeat Longstreet's Corps before going into winter camp. How would that affect the situation when the campaign resumes in May?
 
Let's say Burnside does manage to defeat Longstreet's Corps before going into winter camp. How would that affect the situation when the campaign resumes in May?
If Burnside wins at North Anna and pushes far enough to occupy Hanover Junction, he has won a fantastic victory. Hanover Junction was where the Virginia Central Railroad crossed the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac line. During the ACW, the Virginia Central became one of the Confederacy’s most important lines, carrying food from the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond, and ferrying troops back and forth as the campaigns frequently surrounded its tracks. By occupying Hanover Junction, the Shenandoah Valley becomes increasingly isolated and vulnerable while the Army of Northern Virginia and Richmond are deprived of provisions from the Valley. Burnside could then drive forward onto Richmond and besiege Richmond following the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac line on the following May. On the other hand, the RF&P could be subjected to cavalry raids and Grant’s star would probably be pretty dim as the only failure for the Union in December 1862.
 
So, Burnside would now be acclaimed as a great millitary leader, instead of being known for his ineptitude as he was IOTL.

To be fair, the late arrival of the pontoon bridges at Fredericksburg wasn't Burnside's fault...
 
So, Burnside would now be acclaimed as a great millitary leader, instead of being known for his ineptitude as he was IOTL.

To be fair, the late arrival of the pontoon bridges at Fredericksburg wasn't Burnside's fault...
On the other hand, Burnside still has plenty of opportunities to screw up. While he gets a passing grade in the North Carolina and Knoxville Campaigns, his tactical acumen is very lacking. He failed to show any skill in fighting during the Battles of Antietam, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and the Crater.
 
On the other hand, Burnside still has plenty of opportunities to screw up. While he gets a passing grade in the North Carolina and Knoxville Campaigns, his tactical acumen is very lacking. He failed to show any skill in fighting during the Battles of Antietam, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and the Crater.
Agreed 100%
 
On the other hand, Burnside still has plenty of opportunities to screw up. While he gets a passing grade in the North Carolina and Knoxville Campaigns, his tactical acumen is very lacking. He failed to show any skill in fighting during the Battles of Antietam, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and the Crater.
I don’t think Burnside was that stupid. I think if he accepted command before Antietam he would be smart enough to work fast and destroy Lee’s Army while they were split at least if he did come across that dispatch.
 
I don’t think Burnside was that stupid. I think if he accepted command before Antietam he would be smart enough to work fast and destroy Lee’s Army while they were split at least if he did come across that dispatch.
Burnside is fairly good at operations (movement of troops) but his tactical handling is always lackluster. At Antietam, I would argue that Burnside, though not completely at fault for the failure to cross Burnside bridge or the other fords, still failed to watch his flank for any Confederate forces coming from Harpers Ferry. At the Battle of the Wilderness, his IX Corps got lost while Hancock smashed A.P. Hill's III Corps; at Spotsylvania Court House, Burnside dropped the ball when he had the opportunity to smash into Lee's backdoor on May 10 and was easily repulsed while Hancock's men fought desperately for their gains at the Mule Shoe salient. At the Crater, though Meade and Grant deserved censure for disrupting Burnside's plans in the last minute, Burnside was responsible for choosing the replacement decision and made this decision by having his division commanders draw straws.
 
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