Part Four, Chapters 39-43 Summary

In Chapter 39, after the failure at Fredricksburg General Burnside tries to redeem himself by making a move to the north. Chamberlain watches his men and the rest of the army get bogged down in the deep mud of Virginia as the attack fails before it begins. Chamberlain's brother is promoted to lieutenant and General Burnside is replaced by General Joseph Hooker to command the Union Army.

In Chapter 40, with the war at a standstill in Virginia, Lee is ordered by President Davis to send troops south to defend Georgia and the Carolinas. He calls on Longstreet to go south with two of his divisions. This divides the army, leaving barely more than half to face the army across the river.

Lee suffers a minor heart attack and passes out. When he awakes the doctor instructs him to...