The Battling Bucktails at Fredericksburg (Wm Kids, 16)

Still reeling from the terrible Battle of Antietam, the Bucktails hardly dreamed they would face even greater trials at Fredericksburg. Besides the Rebel menace, the famed rifle regiment was forced to overcome grueling mud marches, the lack of warm clothing, and a steady diet of embalmed beef and sheet-iron crackers during this brutal winter campaign. Add dissension within their ranks, the harsh leadership of General George G. Meade, and the jealousy of the other Pennsylvania Reserves, and the Bucktails’ survival was a true testament to their battling spirit.