the gunwales of the boat were close to the edge of the river. instead of slicing through the river, they literally plowed her way across the river. it was tough for these men. very slow. the entire way, they would have been subject to gunfire. soldier said was probably the toughest regatta ever on the river. [gunfire] >> the men who got into the first marineg the core under fire. they established the first beachhead under fire ever in our history. between the idea of launching an attack in boats under fire, landing under fire, and literally fighting through the streets of fredericksburg, these men were rewriting history. there was not a single person here who had prepared for it, practiced it. they were just making it up as they went along. it is amazing how intuitive they were. when they crossed the rappahannock on december 11, 1862, they crossed the rubicon and brought us into the modern military experience. [gunfire] >> >> one of the amazing impacts of the fighting downtown is the confederates had so successfully delayed the union army that t