Battle of Fredericksburg - Day 2

Friday, December 12, 1862

The Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment witnessed the destruction of Fredericksburg wrought by Union artillery the previous day. The savagery of the street fighting to capture the city led many Union soldiers, including some from the Twentieth Massachusetts, to sack and loot the city. The commanding officers made feeble attempts to restrain their men, but to little avail.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 206-208.