Hey everyone.

Thanks for tuning in to episode number 229 of our Civil War Podcast. I'm Rich.

And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Welcome to the podcast. As y'all recall in last week's

episode, we talked about Abraham Lincoln's adoption of emancipation as a Union War

aim and how the relationship between politics and war meant that the president was counting

on federal armies to win major victories before the end of 1862 and the signing of the final

emancipation proclamation on January 1st, 1863. Lincoln's need for a military victory

to sustain emancipation as a key war aim meant that the army of the Potomac and its new commander,

Ambrose Burnside, would be embarking on an unprecedented winter campaign. On November 14th,

Burnside received Lincoln's and General-in-Chief Henry Hallex, Luke Worm endorsement of his proposal

to sidesteep East to Fredericksburg and then head for Richmond. The very next day, November 15th,

Burnside put his plan in motion and the first elements of the army started off headed for Fredericksburg.

Speed was of utmost importance in Burnside's plan because if he could get ahead of Lee by

quickly seizing Fredericksburg and then swiftly heading south, then he could theoretically keep

ahead of Lee all the way to Richmond. With speed being so important, Burnside did his part

getting the army in motion on November 15th and just two days later on the 17th,

Bull Sumners, Wright Grand Division, arrived at Falmouth across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg.

The rest of the army of the Potomac, William Franklin's left Grand Division, and Joseph Hooker's

Center Grand Division, arrived in the vicinity over the next day or so.

And so at the end of the last show, we said that with things going so well, Ambrose Burnside seemed

to be justifying the trust placed in him. He had been in command for less than two weeks,

but nevertheless, in that time he'd formulated a new plan of campaign, reorganized the army

...