leading to McClellan's removal as commander of the Army of the Potomac. General Ambrose E. Burnside replaced McClellan, and quickly came up with a strategy to take Richmond. Burnside's plan involved travelling up the Rappahannock river to the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia. While he did this, he would send a sizeable detachment in the opposite direction towards Lee's fortifications at Richmond to keep Lee guessing as to what Burnside was attempting to do. Burnside would then cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, wheel his army left, and then advance towards Richmond behind Lee's fortifications, forcing him into an open battle where the North's superior numbers would inevitably win. Due to bureaucratic delays, delays in the vital pontoons needed to cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, and luck on General Lee's part, Burnside was unable to attack until December 11, long after Lee had moved the majority of his forces from Richmond to the outskirts of Fredericksburg. Following the death of Col. Brown, Lt. Col. John van Valkenburg was promoted to command, with John Wheeler being promoted to Lt. Col. of the regiment. The Regiment formed part of the Center Grand Division, and was maneuvered to the middle-left flank of Stafford Heights. On Dec. 13, General Meade was instructed to assault the Confederate right flank, positioned around Prospect Hill. Although Meade succeeded in breaking the Confederate line, General Franklin did not send reinforcements to strengthen Meade's position. Meade's troops began to run low on ammunition, prompting Meade to withdraw from Prospect Hill towards his lines. In order to try to relieve the pressure on the Confederate troops, General Jackson ordered General Taliaferro forward to plug the gaps. This coincided with Meade's retreat and resulted in Meade's troops being pursued by Taliaferro's troops towards Union lines. The 20th Indiana sent into action to stop the Confederate pursuit. Crossing the southern pontoon bridges at double-quick speed, the regiment charged into the Confederate pursuit at approximate 1 P.M., taking 27 casualties. The Brigade the 20th was attached to took a total of 146 casualties. Following the battle, the regiment withdrew to its previous position near the town of Falmouth where they camped throughout the winter. During the Winter, Col. van Valkenburg was mustered out of service for disloyalty. Although many of the men firmly believed he was not disloyal to the cause, it was a well known fact that he was a very ardent admirer of