Two hundred thousand men, hardened now to war, faced one another across the two hundred yards of the Rappahannock.

Four hundred Union cannon on the other side of the river could easily smash their little city to pieces.
The people were scattered among their relatives in the farmhouses and villages about Fredericksburg, eagerly awaiting the news that the invincible Lee and Jackson had beaten back the hated invader.
But the Southern army, save for a small force, did not occupy Fredericksburg itself.
Along the low ridge, a mile or so west of the town, Longstreet had been posted and he had dug trenches and gunpits.

The crest of this ridge, called Marye's Hill, was bare, and here, in addition to the pits and trenches, Longstreet threw up breastworks.

Down the slopes were ravines and much timber, making the whole position one of great strength.
Harry gazed at it as he carried one of his messages from general to general, and he was enough of a soldier to know that an enemy who attacked here was undertaking a mighty task.
But Burnside did not move, and the somber blanket of winter thickened.
More snows fell and the icy rains came again.

Then the mercury slid down until it reached zero.