The Winter Line

The Winter Line. The Battle of Fredericksburg. The months following the Battle of Fredericksburg brought a temporary halt to the fighting in Virginia, but not to the digging. Throughout the winter of 1862-1863 Confederate troops constructed nearly thirty miles of earthworks along the south bank of the Rappahannock River. The works stretched from United States Ford, in the north, to Port Royal, in the south., Unwilling to attack Lee’s strong defenses, Union commander Joseph Hooker devised a plan to maneuver the Confederates out of their works. On April 29, 1863, he crossed the Rappahannock River beyond Lee’s left flank, at Kelly’s Ford, and descended on the Confederate rear. Lee abandoned much of his winter line and marched west, engaging Hooker in battle near a roadside inn known as Chancellorsville., “The rebels had been actively engaged all winter, in strengthening their position, and now dark lines of rifle pits and earthworks frowned from the bluffs for miles up and down the banks, commanding every available crossing.” Lieutenant Winthrop D. Sheldon, 27th Connecticut Volunteers . This historical marker is in Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County Virginia