Fredericksburg!!

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune from only today extracted and with special thanks to Stephan Benzkofer.

The Battle of Fredericksburg as reported in the Chicago Tribune from one hundred and fifty years ago now:

"The Civil War 150 YEARS AGO"

"Flashback is commemorating the War Between the States by reprinting portions of the news coverage from significant battles."

"The Battle of Fredericksburg: A bloody disaster for the Union"

"The news coverage followed a similar patter for a Union defeat: very little information followed by bad information chased by rationalizations and explanations before by overrun by the cold brutal facts."

"It is not using too strong an expression to say that in the this battle we were butchered. The loss of the enemy is in comparison with ours own, must be insignificant. More than half the division of Gen. French were placed hors de combat before they had fired a shot, having orders to withhold their fire, charge bayonets and rush upon the emplacements . . . Destruction so terrible never before has been seen during this war. . . . French went into the battle with 7,000 men. Two days after the battle only 1,200 men have reported themselves."

"THE WAR IN VIRGINIA."

"FROM BURNSIDE'S ARMY."

"THE SITUATION AFTER BATTLE."

"WHAT REBEL OFFICES SAY OF IT."

"Our Loss Foots UP 13,000 Killed, Wounded and Missing."

"BURYING THE DEAD."

"Partial List of Western Wounded."

"Thrilling Details of Bravery and of Slaughter."

"OUR INFANTRY LITERALLY MOWN DOWN."

"Fearful Carnage of our Forces."

"Scenes and Incidents of the Day."

"The Battle of Saturday."

Fredericksburg admittedly so an unmitigated disaster for the Union. Burnside that commander in replacement of Mc Clellan high hopes for quick and easy [relatively speaking] Union victory gone down the tubes with this one catastrophic engagement.

That evening after the battle of course a most unusual and terrifying celestial phenomenon occurring, a BLOOD RED AURORA BOREALIS SEEN FOR ONE AN ALL TO BEHOLD WITH AWE AND EVEN FEAR AND TREPIDATION!

Combat of such a nature not unique to the American Civil War during that historical period. From the time of the Franco-Prussian War [1870] we have the instances of St. Privet [8,000 casualties] and Mars-la-Tour [5,000 dead in fifteen minutes]. Infantry advancing in clumped formations attempting a frontal assault against an entrenched and prepared adversary, those Napoleonic tactics no longer sufficing tacticians at a loss for how to proceed!

Burnside an incompetent commander [?] reinforcing failure not even able to succeed in routing the Confederates, that cause of the Federals in doubt!

coolbert.