Editing CSS Fredericksburg (section)

==Construction and career==
[[File:Drewry's Bluff view downriver.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Curving river with thick trees on both sides|View of the [[James River]] from [[Drewry's Bluff]], 2009]]

Named for the [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Virginia city]],{{sfn|Silverstone|1984|p=51}} ''Fredericksburg''{{'}}s construction was partially funded from monies raised by women's organizations for ship construction; the ship was one of several ironclads sometimes known as the "Ladies Gunboats".{{sfn|Still|1985|pp=86–87}} An attempt to [[ceremonial ship launching|launch]] the warship on June 6, 1863, failed when the Confederates were unable to get her into the water, but another on June 11 was successful.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=85{{en dash}}86}} Her [[fitting out]] was prolonged by a lack of iron,{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=274}} which was in short supply in the Confederacy. The shortage led to work on the ironclad {{ship|CSS|Virginia II}} being delayed until after ''Fredericksburg'' was armored, as there was not enough metal available to work on both ships at the same time.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=86}} The ship was complete, except for her armament by November 30.<ref name="DANFS" /> High waters on the [[James River]] in early 1864 threatened to wash away stockpiles of timber and inundate the shipyard's [[wharves]], further delaying her completion.{{sfn|Canney|2015|p=56}}

In March, ''Fredericksburg'' was commissioned{{sfn|Luraghi|1996|p=288}} and taken to [[Drewry's Bluff]] on the [[James River]], where she was [[fitted out]], placed under the command of [[Commander]] Thomas R. Rootes.<ref name="DANFS" /> She was assigned to the [[James River Squadron]].{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|pp=160{{en dash}}161}} The James River Squadron had been commanded by [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[French Forrest]] until May 6, when Captain [[John K. Mitchell]] replaced Forrest. As of April 30, ''Fredericksburg{{'}}''s armament was reported to be close, but not quite, complete, and she was still not fully ready when Mitchell took command. By May 15, she was fully ready for combat.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=151{{endash}}156}}

The vessels of the James River Squadron could not initially move downriver beyond Drewry's Bluff, as the river had been obstructed there in 1862 to prevent [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] incursions up the river.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=157{{en dash}}160}}  [[Pilings]] had been driven into the river which was also blocked with stone-filled cribs and [[blockship]]s.{{sfn|McPherson|2012|p=109}}  However, in May 1864, the obstructions were partially dismantled to allow for a Confederate offensive against the Union vessels in the James.  On May 23, ''Fredericksburg'' passed through the remainder of the obstructions, and ''Virginia II'' and the ironclad {{ship|CSS|Richmond}} passed through the next day.  [[General officers in the Confederate States Army#General|General]] [[P. G. T. Beauregard]] placed [[artillery batteries]] along the south side of the river to support the naval advance, but ''Fredericksburg'' suffered boiler damage on May 29 that required a day to repair.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=157{{en dash}}160}} Mitchell was aware that the Union would have strong advantages in a naval battle, and he and his officers declined to attack.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=160{{endash}}161}}  Union [[Lieutenant General (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] moved across the James as part of an advance against Richmond<ref name="DANFS" /> in June, and established a [[supply depot]] at [[City Point, Virginia|City Point]] on the James.  The primary goal of the Union naval forces on the James became to protect City Point, and to further that goal, five blockships were sunk at [[Trent's Reach]],{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=163}} which was {{convert|20|miles}} upriver from City Point.{{sfn|McPherson|2012|p=219}}

On June 21, the James River Squadron and a Confederate shore battery known as Battery Dantzler bombarded Union ships stationed at Trent's Reach.  The naval fire was at a range of almost {{convert|2|mi|km}} and was not effective.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=164{{en dash}}166}}  Union forces under the command of [[Major General (United States)|Major General]] [[Benjamin Butler]] began building the [[Dutch Gap Canal]] in August to try to bypass Confederate land defenses in the area.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=166}} On August 13, Confederate naval forces fired on the Union troops building the canal.<ref name="DANFS" />  ''Fredericksburg'' participated in the action, along with ''Virginia II'', ''Richmond'', and the [[gunboat]]s {{ship|CSS|Drewry}}, {{ship|CSS|Nansemond}}, and {{ship|CSS|Hampton}}.  The Confederate vessels fired approximately 147 shots during the engagement, but did little damage.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=166{{en dash}}167}} The shooting lasted from 06:00 to 18:00,{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=166}} and about 30 Union soldiers were killed or wounded.{{sfn|Still|1985|p=178}}  Union return fire damaged ''Fredericksburg{{'}}''s [[funnel (ship)|smokestack]].  Four days later, the three ironclads helped repulse a small Union attack against a Confederate position at Signal Hill, which was the location of a Confederate battery downstream from Drewry's Bluff.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=165{{en dash}}167}}{{sfn|Still|1985|p=178}}

On September 29, Butler's Union [[Army of the James]] attacked the Confederate land positions in the [[Battle of Chaffin's Farm]].<ref name="DANFS" />  The three Confederate ironclads were in the area, and were called upon to fire at the Union lines.{{sfn|Still|1985|p=179}}  Union troops took [[Fort Harrison]], but were unable to capture [[Chaffin's Bluff]]. The ironclads participated in the fighting from September 29 to October 1.  Their fire was effective and they suffered little damage, although a rifled cannon on ''Fredericksburg'' burst on September 30.  The Union gains on land allowed them to construct a battery known as Fort Brady on the now-captured Signal Hill upriver from Battery Dantzler.  While Battery Danztler still controlled part of the river for the Confederates and prevented Union ships from travelling upriver to Fort Brady, the Confederate vessels were unable to move downriver to Battery Danztler.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=167{{en dash}}169}}  On October 22, while patrolling the river, the James River Squadron was surprised by the presence of a Union shore battery which had been recently constructed upstream from Fort Brady.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=170}}  The three ironclads moved against the battery to allow the wooden gunboats of the fleet to escape, before falling back to Chaffin's Bluff.<ref name="DANFS" />  ''Fredericksburg'' suffered minor damage during the engagement,{{sfn|Still|1985|p=180}} with her smokestack and the roof to her casemate damaged.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=171}}

===Trent's Reach===
{{main|Battle of Trent's Reach}}
[[File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14760492744).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Black-and-white photo of a cannon overlooking a river curve|A wartime view from Battery Dantzler]]
On October 24, ''Fredericksburg'' was sent upriver to the Rocketts area, where she was given a replacement cannon for the gun that had burst and had the roof of her casemate protected with iron bars.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=172}}  ''Fredericksburg'', ''Virginia II'', and ''Richmond'' went down to Fort Brady on December 7 and exchanged fire with the Union position.<ref name="DANFS" /> Rootes did not command ''Fredericksburg'' due to illness from December 1864 until February 1865.  [[Lieutenant]] Francis E. Shepperd commanded her for a time during December 1864, and from January 14 through 25, 1865.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=252}}  By the beginning of 1865, the situation was becoming bleaker for the Confederates due to several military defeats, and it was decided to risk an attack against the Union fleet on the James in hopes of breaking the [[Union blockade|blockade]] on the river and destroying the depot at City Point.<ref name="DANFS" />  The Union obstructions at Trent's Reach had been damaged by high water, and part of the Union fleet had been transferred to [[North Carolina]] for operations against [[Fort Fisher]].{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=195{{en dash}}196}}  On the night of January 23/24, the Confederate fleet, composed of ''Fredericksburg'', ''Richmond'', ''Virginia II'', ''Hampton'', ''Drewry'', ''Nansemond'', the gunboats {{ship|CSS|Torpedo}} and {{ship|CSS|Beaufort}}, and the [[torpedo boat]]s {{ship|CSS|Hornet}}, {{ship|CSS|Wasp}}, and {{ship|CSS|Scorpion}} moved downriver towards Trent's Reach.  ''Fredericksburg'' was in the lead as she had the lightest draft.  The ships successfully passed Fort Brady in the darkness, but ''Torpedo'' [[ran aground]] not long after and had to be abandoned.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=198{{en dash}}200}}

''Fredericksburg'' was able to cross the Union obstructions at Trent's Reach at about 01:30 on January 24,{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=200}} but suffered [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] damage during the process.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=161}}  The damage caused the ship to spring a leak.  While ''Hampton'' also passed the obstructions,{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=202}} none of the other Confederate ironclads could.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=161}}  ''Virginia II'' ran aground, and the Confederates decided not to push further that night and recalled ''Fredericksburg'' and ''Hampton'' back across the obstructions.  ''Drewry'' also became grounded and was abandoned; Union fire sank her later in the morning and the resulting explosion pushed ''Scorpion'' towards Union lines, where she was captured.  ''Fredericksburg'' withdrew to Battery Dantzler.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=203{{en dash}}204}}  Union vessels arrived during the morning and reached the obstructions, firing on the now-freed ''Virginia II'', and ''Richmond'' who were still in the process of moving upriver towards the battery.  The two Confederate ironclads were able to reach the safety of Battery Dantzler, which provided fire support, striking the gunboat [[USS Massasoit|USS ''Massasoit'']]. Union forces also brought up a [[Drummond light]] so that the river could be illuminated during nighttime.  While the Confederates considered another attempt through the obstructions that night, it was decided not to risk a movement, and the surviving vessels of Mitchell's squadron withdrew to Chaffin's Bluff.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=204{{en dash}}208}}  In addition to the hull damage from crossing the obstructions, ''Fredericksburg'' also lost an anchor during the affair.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=211}}

Shortly after the battle at Trent's Reach, Mitchell was replaced as commander of the James River Squadron by [[Admiral]] [[Raphael Semmes]].<ref name="DANFS" />  Lieutenant Alphonse Barbot took command of ''Fredericksburg'' in February.{{sfn|Coski|2005|p=252}} ''Fredericksburg'' was repaired, but did not see further action.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=161}}  On April 3, Semmes was informed that the Confederates were abandoning Richmond.<ref name="DANFS" />  The vessels of the James River Squadron were taken upriver from Chaffin's Bluff to the obstructions at Drewry's Bluff, and the ships, including the ironclads, were burned early that morning.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=218{{en dash}}220}} The men of the James River Squadron served on land, moving with the Confederate government to [[Danville, Virginia]], before eventually surrendering in North Carolina.<ref name="DANFS" />  The wreck of ''Fredericksburg'' survived later [[dredging]] operations,{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=238{{en dash}}239}} despite being incompletely removed in 1871 and 1872,{{sfn|Gaines|2008|p=180}} and the site was rediscovered in the 1980s.{{sfn|Coski|2005|pp=238{{en dash}}239}}  ''Fredericksburg'' lies parallel to the river, buried under {{convert|6|ft|m}} to {{convert|15|ft|m}} of [[sediment]].<ref name="DANFS" />  Bisbee reports that the site has been heavily disturbed.{{sfn|Bisbee|2018|p=162}}