Battle of Fredericksburg - Day 2

Friday, December 12, 1862

The Thirteenth New Hampshire bivouacked at Caroline Street during the day and evening, witnessing the destruction of the city from the Union artillery the previous day. The Union Army remained in a vulnerable position, as the men deployed along the streets of Fredericksburg with their backs to the Rappahannock River. During the day Confederate artillery sent barrages of solid shot and railroad rails into the Union line, creating additional damage to the shattered buildings. The Confederate artillery did not utilize shells as ammunition to spare the city further damage by fire.¹

References:
¹S. Millett Thompson, Thirteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 : A Diary Covering Three Years and a Day (Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1888), 41-42.