...e their homes, and then I shall proceed, said Sumner, to shell the town. Fredericksburg, a typical Virginia town, is built on a plain every foot of which is commanded by the heights opposite in Stafford County . A plunging fire would destroy it, and Sumner's threat was a serious one to the inhabitants. The man of the house was in the Southern army, and it was a heart-rending experience for the women and...