Fredericksburg’s “Florida Memorial”

The intersection of Hawke and Sophia streets in Fredericksburg marks the site of one pontoon bridges constructed by Federal engineers on December 11, 1862, so the Army of the Potomac could cross the Rappahannock River. The upper crossing site, as it’s now known, is a great area to explore the opening phase of the vicious street fighting that marked the first day of the battle of Fredericksburg.

Hawke Street also features—seasonally and unintentionally—what I’ve come to think of as the battle of Fredericksburg’s “Florida Memorial.”

One of the houses along the street has a pair of palm trees in its front yard—a rare thing this far north. Nearby homeowners, in tropical Christmas spirit, complement the trees with pink yard flamingos behatted with little red Santa caps. It says “Christmas” and “Florida” all at the same time.

The location of this unofficial memorial is particularly apropos because some 150 Floridians were stationed on this part of the battlefield on December 11.

The Confederate first-line of defense was entrusted to Brig. Gen. William Barksdale, a fire-breather from Mississippi, who stationed his four regiments along the Rappahannock riverfront. A single regiment of Floridians—the 8th Florida, commanded by Capt. David Lang—bolstered his Mississippians.

Barksdale divided the Floridians into two taskforces. He positioned three companies under Capt. William Baya on the far right of his riverfront line. There, at the city wharves, they protected the right flank of the 17th Mississippi’s Co. B, commanded by Capt. Andrew Govan. Govan estimated the Floridians “in my opinion, did not constitute 40 men.”

Barksdale then sent the second taskforce, some 150 men under the command of Capt. David Long, to the north end of the city to help protect the left of his riverfront line. That taskforce paired up with the rest of Col. John C. Fiser’s 17th Mississippi. Fiser placed the Floridians on the far left, “which would be in point-blank range of the enemy above the bridge then being rapidly constructed by them.”

Fiser offered an excellent summary of the day’s action:

I ordered my men to fire on the bridge-builders, which they obeyed promptly and deliberately (and I think with stunning effect), the command being echoed by Captain Govan on the right in the same manner and with equal effect, causing the enemy to throw down their implements and quit their work in great confusion, after which they immediately opened a heavy, galling, and concentrated fire of musketry and artillery upon both wings for one hour, and, supposing they had driven us from our position, they again began their work on the bridges; but as soon as we discovered them at work, we renewed the attack and drove them pell-mell from bridges. They made nine desperate attempts to finish their bridges, but were severely punished and promptly repulsed at every attempt.

Although Federals “used their artillery incessantly with a heavy detachment of sharpshooters,” Fiser said his men “easily swept the enemy from the bridge from above, below, and in front.”

Fiser in particular lauded the Floridians for their work—at first. “The battalion did good service and acted gallantly while commanded by Captain Lang,” he explained. “He obeyed my suggestions with alacrity, and proved himself a worthy, gallant, and efficient officer. . . .”

Then disaster struck. Around 11 a.m., a Federal shell hit a chimney, which crashed down on Lang, severely wounding him. He would survive and eventually earn promotion to colonel, but on the morning of December 11, his wounding left the 8th Floridians on the left flank leaderless. “I received but little aid from the regiment, as it seemed troubled and in want of a commander,” Fiser groused.

In fact, the regiment’s morale became so bad that one unidentified lieutenant “so far forgot himself as to draw his pistol and threatened to kill some of my sharpshooters if they fired again,” Fiser added, “as it would draw the enemy’s fire on his position.”

Fiser tried to calm the jangled nerves of all the men, but he too was soon rattled. According to McLaws, Fiser was “knocked down and stunned by a portion of a falling wall” hit by a Federal shell—a fate not unlike Lang’s, but ultimately less severe. “[R]ecovering consciousness,” McLaws said Fiser “held to his post, and cheered on his men.” Federal pressure ultimately forced the entire command to withdraw.

At the city wharves, where Federals constructed their middle crossing, Captain Govan had similar difficulties with his detachment of Floridians. “The officer in command of said companies failed repeatedly to obey my commands when ordered to fire on the bridge-builders,” Govan wrote, “and so silent was his command that I scarcely knew he was in position. His excuse for not firing was that his position was too much exposed, and firing would draw the fire of artillery”—a concern not dissimilar from his fellow Floridians at the north end of the city.

By 2 p.m., Captain Baya had had enough. He informed Govan he was withdrawing his men from their exposed position. Govan was flabbergasted.

But then Baya had second thoughts and didn’t leave after all—but didn’t inform Govan he and his men had stayed. When Govan eventually ordered his Mississippians to withdraw, the Floridians never received the order because no one knew they were still out there on the far-right flank. The first Federal regiments quickly surrounded Baya and his small detachment, scooping up all of them as prisoners.

“I am convinced that if any were captured it was from inefficiency and from fear of being killed in the retreat,” Govan reported, neglecting to mention that at least some of the inefficiency fell back on him.

In all, though, the Floridians had a bad day at Fredericksburg on December 11—a poor performance made all the most conspicuous by the highly effective defense mounted by the Mississippians around them.

“I think the defense of the river-crossing in front of Fredericksburg was a notable and wonderful feat of arms, challenging comparison with anything that happened during the war,” said Barksdale’s boss, division commander Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws. But for the Floridians in the Army of Northern Virginia, it was a day to forget.

Perhaps it’s best the “Florida Memorial,” informal and unintentional as it is, only stays up for December.

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Sources:

See Fiser’s and Govan’s reports, O.R. 21:601–603, and Lafayette McLaws, “The Confederate Left at Fredericksburg,” Battles & Leaders 3:86.