Pontoon Crossing Site (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

USA / Virginia / Falmouth / Fredericksburg, Virginia / Sophia Street
 place with historical importance, interesting place
www.nps.gov/frsp/photosmultimedia/upperp.htm

It was near this spot that Union soldiers from Michigan forced an amphibious landing under fire from Brig. General William Barksdale's Mississippians after the Confederates had confounded Union pontoon bridge-building efforts for an entire day...

Union troops crossed the Rappahannock below Chatham on a pontoon bridge. Delays in the pontoon train's arrival delayed Burnside's crossing, allowing Lee to move his army to Fredericksburg, blocking an easy Union advance on Richmond. When the Federals did cross, sharpshooters of Barksdale's brigade made it a slow and costly operation.
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Coordinates:   38°18'28"N   77°27'37"W
This article was last modified 16 years ago