Wait a second...I messed up! I was thinking Vandeberg was in Co. C 2nd USSS, Pennsylvania, instead of the Michigan company of the 1st Regt.
The following is an excerpt from the regimental history, "Berdan's U.S. Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac" by Chas. Stevens.
"During this sanguinary battle the First Sharpshooters were held in reserve. On the 13th they occupied a position on the north bank of the Rappahannock, and on the following day, crossing the river, remained in the town until the 15th, when they were ordered to the front on the picket lines where considerable firing had taken place..."The after action report of Lt. Colonel Caspar Trepp, 1st U.S.S.S.:
"On the 13th I received an order to march with the division, and was assigned a place in the column in rear of Phillip's battery and bivouacked for the night near it, about half a mile from a bridge over the which the rest of the division crossed the Rappahannock. On the 14th at about half past seven A.M. I received an order to cross the river and report immediately to Gen. Griffin, which order was obeyed, and the regiment entered Fredericksburg at about eight A.M. At about noon on the 15th, by order of Gen. Wilcox, four companies of my regiment were sent out on picket duty, under command of Major Hastings, on the left, to connect with Gen. Franklin's picketss, and cover a space not before covered. I carefully examined the ground and personally superintended the posting of the pickets, making perfect the connection between Gen. Franklin's right and the block house by the railroad. This detachment remained on the outposts until it was withdrawn by order of Gen. Humphreys, at about half past six A.M. the next day. At about five P.M., by order of Gen. Griffin, I sent two companies, under Capt. Seaton, on picket on the right. These remained on the outposts until three o'clock next morning, when they were relieved by order of Gen. Griffin. On the 16th, by order of Gen. Griffin, the regiment, excepting the four companies on the outposts, crossed the Rappahannock at about six A.M. at the upper bridge. The said four companies retired as follows: three companies of reserves under Major Hastings, in column, and one company, the last on the outposts, as skirmishers under Capt. Marble (Company G), bringing with them a number of stragglers from different regiments. The regiment was in camp at about noon, all present. There have been no casualties in my command during the period."And here is a new map...basically the "top half" of the other one I included earlier:
http://www.historyofwar.org/Maps/century_3_074_fredericksburg_top.gifAnother, simpler one that shows the after battle locations of the commands in charge of the generals mentioned in Trepp's report:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Fredericksburg-HookerAssault.pngYet another that shows landmarks/troop positions without all the clutter:
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/fredericksburg/battle-map-fredericksburg.jpgWe can use details in Lt. Col. Trepp's report and these maps to determine where the four companies, and the later two, were deployed. General Franklin's right flank, which was where the four companies were initially deployed "to the left", can be seen well in the third map. The Sharpshooters in those four companies basically covered the ground between Franklin's right near a creek called Deep Run and a "block house" by the railroad. The location of the two companies later deployed to the right was directly under Marye's Heights, over the same land that the 2nd Corps charged over during the height of the battle. I am sure of only two of the companies that deployed (Cos. F & G), and with six total on the picket/outpost line, that left four in reserve. I cannot say exactly where the reserve might have been located, but Trepp would have been with them; since he received orders from Generals Willcox, Humphreys, and Griffin, he was likely near them. This could place the reserve companies immediately in the drainage ditch seen in the last two maps and labeled both "ditch" and "canal" in the first map.
If Company C was in reserve they would have gone to ground and laid in place until orders moved them or deployed them. A drainage ditch or even dry canal would be the perfect place. Being so close to Marye's Heights, which is where the principal action occurred, would definitely qualify Vandeberg and Company C as being "on the near side of the battle."
One last thing, and it's very cool. A cuff sized rubber eagle button was dug at the Kenmore historical home property near downtown Fredericksburg. Whether this is a relic of the 1st U.S.S.S.'s deployment after the battle, or an item dropped when the estate was used as a field hospital after the Wilderness in 1864 we probably cannot say. Very compelling though...it's at the bottom of the website linked here:
http://www.kenmore.org/kenmore/kp_arch.html
_________________
Brian WhiteWambaugh, White, & Companyhttp://www.wwandcompany.com----------------------------------
Randolph Mess, U.S. Sharpshooters