A suggested timeline...
15 November 1862--The Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major General Ambrose Burnside, leaves Washington D.C. and advances on Fredericksburg, Virginia. Due to better organizational work by General Burnside’s staff, pontoons necessary for crossing the Rappahannock River are placed near the van of the army, rather than at the rear.
18 November 1862--The Army of the Potomac arrives at Falmouth, Virginia, across the Rappahannock from Fredericksburg. General Burnside orders the pontoons placed for an immediate crossing.
19 November 1862--General James Longstreet’s Corps of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia arrives at Culpepper, Virginia. J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry Corps is at Warrenton Junction. Stonewall Jackson’s Corps is still at Winchester.
20 November 1862--The Army of the Potomac crosses the Rappahannock and takes Fredericksburg, as well as the commanding heights just outside the city. The crossing is virtually unopposed, except by a single Confederate regiment which snipes at the Union forces from concealed positions in the town. As a result, Union troops plunder the town and burn much of it to the ground. . It takes a few days to restore order to the Union Army after this outbreak of lawlessness and the natural disorganization caused by the crossing of the river, and Burnside takes a few days to sort it out.
21 November 1862--General Robert E. Lee, having learned of the federal crossing of the Rappahannock, orders the Army of Northern Virginia to concentrate at Orange Court House. With the assent of President Davis, General Lee orders all available trains to Orange Court House. General Lee has decided to make a stand at the North Anna River, and must use rail transport to get there before the Yankees.
23 November 1862--Longstreet’s Corps arrives at Orange Court House. His men begin entraining and moving to the North Anna. Lee directs them to concentrate in the area of Hanover Junction.
24 November 1862--Stonewall Jackson’s Corps arrives at Orange Court House, completing the concentration of the Army of Northern Virginia at that place. General Robert E. Lee arrives at the North Anna River and does a reconnaissance of the area. He discovers that the topography of the North Anna River is mostly unfavorable for defense, with the northern bank being higher than the southern bank, allowing the southern bank to be dominated by artillery placed on the northern bank. This holds true everywhere except at one place…Ox Ford. However, about a mile to southwest of Ox Ford is the Little River, and about a mile to the southeast is an impassable swamp. Lee orders defensive entrenchments dug southeast and southwest of Ox Ford, to be anchored on these obstacles. Longstreet’s men begin work on the entrenchments as they arrive from Orange Court House. Any Union army which seeks to attack this position must cross the river at fords several miles to the east and west of Ox Ford, thus dividing itself into 2-3 parts, each separated from the other by a river. A Confederate attack across the North Anna at Ox Ford could then cut the Union Army in two, then turn on one of the flanks and destroy it before the other could intervene. Lee has set a trap, and can only hope the enemy will fall for it.
25 November 1862--The last of General Longstreet’s troops are arriving at the North Anna. General Stuart arrives at the North Anna with the cavalry corps. General Jackson begins entraining his men at Orange Court House for the trip to the North Anna. General Burnside orders the Army of the Potomac to leave the Fredericksburg area, advancing southward toward Richmond.
26 November 1862--Stonewall Jackson’s Corps begins arriving at the North Anna. They are immediately put to work digging entrenchments. Stuart’s Cavalry Corps is sent to harass and slow down the Union advance south from Fredericksburg.
27 November 1862--The last of Stonewall Jackson’s men arrive at the North Anna. General Lee orders Longstreet to position a brigade of infantry at Chesterfield Bridge, to the east of Ox Ford. Jackson is ordered to position two brigades at Quarle’s Ford, to the west of Ox Ford. These are the most likely crossing points for any Union force seeking to outflank the Confederate position at Ox Ford. The troops stationed there are to oppose any crossing vigorously, but then make a fighting withdrawal toward the main Confederate position. This will hopefully draw the Union forces into the Confederate trap.
28 November 1862--The Army of the Potomac arrives on the north bank of the North Anna River. Due to the wooded, rolling nature of the terrain, it is impossible to see the entire Confederate position from the north bank. He does see that Ox Ford is heavily defended, and decides to look for other crossings. Burnside orders his cavalry to reconnoiter in search of other fords.
30 November 1862--Burnside receives reports that the crossings at Quarle’s Ford and Chesterfield Bridge are defended, but not as strongly as the position at Ox Ford. Burnside decides to attack across the North Anna at those places. He sends the Right Grand Division, under Major General Edwin Sumner and consisting of the II Corps (Darius Couch) and IV Corps (Orlando Wilcox) plus a cavalry division under Alfred Pleasanton, to cross Quarle’s Ford. The Left Grand Division, under Major General William Franklin, and consisting of the I Corps (John Reynolds) and the VI Corps (William Smith), plus a cavalry brigade under George Bayard, is sent to cross at Chesterfield Bridge. The Center Grand Division, under Major General Joseph Hooker is divided. The III Corps under George Stoneman, with a cavalry brigade under William Averell, is positioned north of Ox Ford, and ordered to demonstrate there in order to pin down the Confederates holding that portion of the line. The V Corps (Daniel Butterfield) is sent east, to join the attack across Chesterfield Bridge.
1 December 1862--The Battle of the North Anna River. The Union attacks at Quarle’s Ford and Chesterfield Bridge begin at dawn on December 1, 1862. The heavily outnumbered Confederate defenders are forced back, and by 9 a.m., the Union attack forces are across the North Anna. As directed, the Confederate defenders make a fighting withdrawal toward the main Confederate lines, and the Union forces take the bait, following them. They come into contact with the Confederate fortifications, manned by the steady troops of Longstreet’s Corps, at 11:00 a.m. Burnside orders an assault, which is beaten off with heavy losses. Burnside begins reforming his troops for a second assault. However, at this time, General Lee unleashes his own stroke. Stonewall Jackson’s Corps launches a devastating assault across Ox Ford. The III Corps under Stoneman, which was not expecting to be attacked, is caught unawares and, after a short, bitter struggle, is routed. General Burnside, realizing at last that he has fallen into a trap, orders an immediate withdrawal north of the North Anna River. He is too late. Jackson pivots east, and gets to the Chesterfield Bridge before the Union forces can reach it, crossing to the south side of the river. He launches an assault at the disorganized, dispirited Union troops which are retreating back toward Chesterfield Bridge. Lee orders General Longstreet to likewise attack east from the main Confederate lines. The Left Grand Division, with Butterfield’s V Corps, are caught between the hammer and the anvil, and crushed. Butterfield’s V Corps and Smith’s VI Corps are cut to pieces. Hundreds, perhaps thousands…the number will never be known…of panic stricken Union troops attempt to flee into the swamps southeast of Ox Ford, where they get caught in the bogs and drown. Thousands more throw down their arms and surrender. The I Corps, under John Reynolds, puts up a brave fight, and holds off several Confederate assaults before Reynolds himself is killed by a Confederate sniper. Following his death, morale in his Corps collapses, and the remnants surrender as the sun begins to set in the west.
Meanwhile, Sumner’s Right Grand Division has successfully retreated across the North Anna, and, ordered by General Burnside to the rescue of the beleaguered forces still on the south side of the river, was approaching Chesterfield Bridge when the sun began to sink in the west. By that time, the sound of firing on the south side of the river had almost ceased, and it was obvious that a huge disaster had befallen the Union troops there. Rather than continue a hopeless struggle and risk the complete annihilation of his army, General Burnside orders Sumner to retreat toward Washington, D.C. that very night.
It has been the bloodiest single day in American military history. The Union Army of the Potomac has lost close to 20,000 men killed or wounded, and another 5,000 or so are listed as missing, most of whom are actually dead, drowned in the swamps. Another 40,000+ men have been forced to surrender. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia has suffered heavily too. Over 10,000 Confederates lie dead or wounded on the fields as the sun sets.
2 December 1862--General Lee orders Stuart's Cavalry to pursue the retreating Union forces, and makes his men ready to march.
So...what do you think the next moves of the campaign will be?