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About the Book
The Maps of Fredericksburg: An Atlas of the Fredericksburg Campaign, Including all Cavalry Operations, September 18, 1862 - January 22, 1863 continues Bradley M. Gottfried’s efforts to study and illustrate the major campaigns of the Civil War’s Eastern Theater. This is his sixth book in the ongoing Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series.
After Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was forced out of Maryland in September 1862, President Abraham Lincoln grew frustrated by Maj. Gen. George McClellan’s failure to vigorously purse the Rebels and replaced him with Ambrose Burnside. The opening stages of what would come to be the Fredericksburg Campaign began in early October when the armies moved south. After several skirmishes, it became clear Burnside would force a crossing at Fredericksburg and drive south. Delays in doing so provided General Lee with time to get his troops into position behind the city.
The initial fighting occurred on December 11 when a single Mississippi Confederate brigade gallantly delayed the Union bridge-building efforts. Once across, Burnside’s army prepared for action. The main battle took place on December 13, a two-pronged attack against Marye’s Heights on the Union right and Prospect Hill at the opposite end of the line. Neither was successful. Burnside contemplated another attempt to flank Lee, but the January weather conspired against him and he was removed from command.
Unlike other treatments of this epic fight, The Maps of Fredericksburg plows new ground by breaking down the entire campaign into twenty-two map sets or “action sections,” enriched with 122 detailed full-page color maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental and battery level, and include the march to and from the battlefield and virtually every significant event in between. At least two—and as many as ten—maps accompany each map set. Keyed to each piece of cartography is a full facing page of detailed text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the Fredericksburg story come alive.
This presentation allows readers to easily and quickly fine a map and text on virtually any portion of the campaign, from the march south to Fredericksburg to the Mud March in early 1863. Serious students of the battle will appreciate the extensive and authoritative endnotes and complete order of battle. Everyone will want to take the book along on trips to the battlefield. A final bonus is that the maps in this work unlock every other book or article written on this fascinating campaign.
Perfect for the easy chair or for stomping the hallowed ground of Fredericksburg, The Maps of Fredericksburg is a seminal work that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the battle.
Review
"This book is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Civil War collections and supplemental studies lists." -- Midwest Book Review
“Bradley M. Gottfried has done it again! The Maps of Fredericksburg uses all of his masterful talents to translate the most complex historical events into a step-by-step journey through the nuances of battle. Gottfried has given us the most comprehensive view of the critical 1862 Fredericksburg Campaign, making the operations of Lee and Burnside instantly understandable without sacrificing any of the importance or pathos of the battle. He sees the action from the homefront to the headquarters, and from White House to the battle line. Students, scholars, and enthusiasts alike will love Gottfried’s majestic treatment of the Fredericksburg Campaign.”
-- Francis Augustín O’Reilly, author of The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock
“Mapmaker and historian Brad Gottfried’s detailed maps, accompanied by an engaging narrative, provide a compelling account for historians and students of the campaign that ended in tactical disaster for the Army of the Potomac. It is recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the Civil War.” -- Daniel T. Davis, co-author of Out Flew the Sabers: The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863
“Gottfried's clear and descriptive maps are essential to understanding the intricacies of any Civil War battlefield and especially this one, where urban sprawl has overtaken so much of the hallowed ground. The Maps of Fredericksburg is another excellent addition to the Savas Beatie Military Atlas series.”
-- Phillip S. Greenwalt, co-author of Hurricane from the Heavens: The Battle of Cold Harbor, May 26-June 5, 1864
Bradley M. Gottfried served as a college educator for over 40 years before he retired in 2017. After receiving his doctorate, he was a full-time faculty member for eleven years and then entered the administrator ranks, rising to the position of president, serving for 17 years in this position at two colleges. His interest in the Civil War began when he was a youngster in the Philadelphia area. He has written 14 books on the Civil War, including a number on Gettysburg and map studies of various campaigns. A resident of the Chambersburg/Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, Brad is an Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide.
