Hey everyone, welcome to episode number 232 of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich. And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

We finished up the last show with the Federal's appalling ransacking of

Fredricksburg and we shared how this outrage combined with the severe bombardment

of the town and the site of terrified civilians fleeing the shelling only

reinforced Confederate stereotypes of Yankee wickedness. One rebel officer

outraged the between the bombardment and the looting. Fredricksburg had been

turned into quote a monument to the barbarity of the abolitionists.

We also talked about how the stubborn defensive stand of William Barkstale and his

Mississippians on December 11 had ruined Ambrose Burnside's plan to quickly

cross the river on his pontoon bridges. That day the Confederates held

Fredricksburg much longer than anyone had anticipated. Barkstale provided Lee

with ample time to start concentrating his army on the heights behind the

city. When all was said and done by the time darkness brought an end to the

fighting on the 11th, Barkstale had bought Robert E. Lee a full day more than

the Confederate commander ever would have hoped for. But then Burnside gave Lee a

second full day because despite the fact he'd had nearly a month in which to

prepare for his attack, Barkstale's stand had thrown a wrench into his plans and

now the Federal Commander felt he needed one more day to consolidate his

foothold across the Rapa Hanna and finalize details. And so we spent the

entire day on Friday December 12th deploying Franklin's and Sumner's

Grand Divisions on the far side of the river. Between Barkstale's stand on the

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