rossed without trouble. When the cold, foggy morning of December 13th
broke, the whole Army of the Potomac was on the southern shore and the
Confederate army was on the heights behind Fredericksburg.

As the fog had cleared to some extent, General Franklin advanced against
the Confederate right, but, misunderstanding Burnside's order, he made
only a feint. Fighting was kept up throughout the day, and once General
Meade forced a gap in the enemy's line, but he was not reinforced, and
was driven back with severe loss.

The attack on the right having failed, Sumner threw himself against the
left. This required the seizure of Marye's Hill, and was hopeless from
the first. As the Union troops emerged from the town they were in fair
range of an appalling fire that mowed down scores. Still they pressed on
with a courage that could not be surpassed until one-half lay dead and
dying, when the rest staggered backward out of the furnace-blast of
death. The gallant Hancock gathered up the fragments of the shattered
line, and, uniting them with his own men, numbering 5,000 in all, he led
a charge, which in a brief while stretched 2,000 dead or wounded. Still
the survivors held their ground and were joined by others, who fell so
fast that it was soon evident that every man would be killed. Then
grimly remarking, "I guess we have had enough killed to satisfy
Burnside," Hancock ordered the brave fellows to fall back.

Burnside was frantic over the repeated failures. He was determined that
the heights should be carried, and ordered Hooker, his only remaining
general, to do it. Hooker went across with his three divisions, made a
careful reconnoissance, and saw that to carry out the command meant the
massacre of all his troops. He returned to Burnside and begged him to
recall his order. He refused, and Hooker attempted to obey, leading
4,000 of as brave men as ever shouldered a musket; but before they could
reach the stone wall 1,700 lay helpless on the icy earth and the
remainder fled.

Had not night been at hand, Burnside would have ordered another charge
and sacrificed hundreds of more lives, but he concluded to let the men
live until the next morning. Already 1,200 had been killed, almost
10,000 wounded, and several thousand were missing. The commanders
gathered around Burnside and insisted that the army should be brought
across the river before it was annihilated, but he refused. He was
resolved on sacrificing several thousand mor