December 13, 1862: The Battle of Fredericksburg. As dusk falls, the tattered remnants of the 28th Massachusetts withdraw from Maryes Heights to the relative safety of town. Col. Byrnes waits by the colors, hoping to see more of his men return. Riding up nearby, Gen. Edwin Sumner, commander of the 2nd Corps, rebukes a soldier from the 28th for standing alone and not with his company. The man replies: This is all my company, sir. The Irish will remain on the edge of town until the evening of December 15, when they will finally cross back over the Rappahannock River and return to their camp in Falmouth.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:08:29 +0000