America's Civil War
History 393
Study Questions
Professor John C. Willis
 
 
The Lessons of Antietam and Fredericksburg

 

1.  Why didn't Lee undertake a seige or attack on Washington, D.C., after smashing General Pope's army at the Second Battle of Manassas? 

2.  How did Robert E. Lee justify invading Maryland in 1862?   What ideological problems might this tactic pose for some of his officers and men? 

3.  What lessons might each side draw from the fighting at Fredericksburg in December 1862?