Simply Murder
The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862
Chris Mackowski PhD, Kristopher D. White
The battle of Fredericksburg is usually remembered as the most lopsided Union defeat of the Civil War. The authors have worked
for years along Fredericksburg's Sunken Road and Stone Wall, and they've escorted thousands of visitors across the battlefield. This book not only recounts Fredericksburg's tragic story of slaughter, but includes invaluabl
Emerging Civil War Series
They melted like snow on the ground, one officer said—wave after wave of Federal soldiers charging uphill across an open muddy plain. Confederates, fortified behind a stone wall along a sunken road, poured a hail of lead into them as they charged . . . and faltered . . . and died. "I had never before seen fighting like that, nothing approaching it in terrible uproar and destruction," said one eyewitness to the slaughter. "It is only murder now."
The battle of Fredericksburg is usually remembered as the most lopsided Union defeat of the Civil War. It is sometimes called "Burnside's folly," after Union commander Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside who led the Army of the Potomac to ruin along the banks of the Rappahannock River. But the battle remains one of the most misunderstood and misremembered engagements of the war. Burnside started with a well-conceived plan and had every reason to expect victory. How did it go so terribly wrong?
Authors Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White have worked for years along Fredericksburg's Sunken Road and Stone Wall, and they've escorted thousands of visitors across the battlefield. Simply Murder not only recounts Fredericksburg's tragic story of slaughter, but includes invaluable information about the battlefield itself and the insights they've learned from years of walking the ground.
Simply Murder can be enjoyed in the comfort of one's living room or as a guide on the battlefield itself. It is also the first release in the new "Emerging Civil War Series," which offers compelling and easy-to-read overviews of some of the Civil War's most important battles and issues.
About the Authors: Chris Mackowski is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, and also works with the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, which includes the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania battlefields.
Kristopher D. White is a historian for the Penn-Trafford Recreation Board and a continuing education instructor for the Community College of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served for five years as a staff military historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, and is a former Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg.
Longtime friends, Mackowski and White have co-authored several books and numerous articles for various Civil War magazines. They also co-founded the blog Emerging Civil War, which can be read at: www.emergingcivilwar.com.
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor in chief of Emerging Civil War. He is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University and the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield. He has authored or coauthored more than a dozen books on the Civil War.
Kristopher White is a historian for the Penn-Trafford Recreation Board and a continuing education instructor for the Community College of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, PA. White is a graduate of Norwich University with a MA in Military History, as well as a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania with a BA in History. For five years he served as a staff military historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he still volunteers his services. For a short time he was a member of the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg. Over the past seven years, he has spoken to more than 40 roundtables and historical societies. He is the author and co-author of numerous articles that have appeared in America's Civil War, Blue and Gray, Civil War Times, and Armchair General. White co-authored The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson with longtime friend Chris Mackowski. The two have authored numerous articles together and are currently working on a book-length study of the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and Salem Church
"The presentation of an intelligent, readable, and original account at each location is wonderful. Time after time, I wished this book was with me during my visit to the battlefield."
- Jim Durney, Suncoast Civil War Round Table
"Simply Murder is an affordable and readable overview of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Those looking to better understand this battle . . . would do well to purchase this book."
- Bret Schulte, TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog
Simply Murder Reviews
Eric J. Wittenberg
Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862
O. Edward Cunningham
15 Years of War
Kristine Schellhaas
The Maps of Gettysburg
Bradley M. Gottfried
Major General Robert E. Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia
Darrell Collins
The War Outside My Window
The War Outside My Window (Young Readers Edition)
The Ultimate ROTC Guidebook
Second Lieutenant David Atkinson