Darkness fell on the battlefield when the Army of the Potomac called a halt to the day's activities. At headquarters Burnside was beside himself. He ordered the IX Corps, his old command, ready to renew the assault on Marye's Heights in the morning. Burnside himself was going to lead the attack. He was going to bring success to his plan or die trying. General Sumner and the others of Burnside's staff had to work hard to convince the Commander-in-Chief that it was useless to continue the battle. After meeting with his three Grand Division Commanders, Burnside put off all decisions until the morning. While the decisions were being made, on the far side of the river many men lay dead and wounded on the plains below the Marye's Heights.

The night was a terrible time for those still alive on those plains. The temperature dropped below freezing as bodies froze to the ground. Horrible moans and cries came from the wounded that survived the night. Many scavengers from both sides roamed the field stripping the dead of their positions. Union stretcher bearers worked as close to the line as the Confederate's would allow. The Confederates behind the line did not allow the troops pinned down on the field to organize and retreat. Skirmishers from the wall moved from behind the wall to keep the Union troops pinned down through the night. Not that most felt like moving anyway.

Lt. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, later of Gettysburg fame, of the 20th Maine, lay on the plain overnight. Fighting the cold he gathered two then three dead men to gain cover and warmth through the night. Finally, as the morning came he was able to regroup others and retreat down into the town of Fredericksburg. Late during the night the Northern Lights shown brightly above the field. This was an unusual sight this far south. Both sides marveled at the sights, being seen for the first time by many in both armies. Confederate troops thought the lights were fireworks from the heaven celebrating their victory.

In the morning the plain remained cluttered with dead, wounded and others still pinned down by the Confederates behind their wall. At mid-day Burnside decided to hold another council meeting with his commanders. At this time they decided to withdraw back across the Rappahannock. All but Couch's and Butterfield's Corps would retreat, leaving these two to defend the city. This day, December 14th, remained relatively quite as the Federals worked to remove their wounded from the field and quickly bury those they could. Two incidences occurred that show the human interest that the war brought.

First is the story of Confederate Sergeant Richard Kirkland. Kirkland, a member of the 2nd South Carolina, couldn't bear to hear the wounded cry out for water. Trying to find someone to give him permission to attend to these wounded he finally approached General Kershaw. Kershaw gave him approval but warned the sergeant that he could not use a white flag and that he might be shot. Kirkland slipped over the wall and spent hours bringing water to the Union wounded. This act brought the sergeant the name of the "Angel of Fredericksburg."

On the south end of the battle field occurred another story of human interest of a different kind. During the early morning, members of the "Iron Brigade" of Doubleday's division were sent out to form a skirmish line between the Federal positions and the Confederates. This regiment called out to the Rebels and formed a verbal truce between the two picket lines. Later in the day they were replaced by another "Iron Brigade" regiment without telling of the "truce." The new pickets began to fire upon the unsuspecting Rebels before the first Union troops could relay the truce agreement back to them. A union soldier and a Confederate soldier fired at each other, sending insults back and forth at each other as each shot missed. Finally the insults angered each so much that killing would not settle this spat. Both dropped their weapons and met in between and fought it out with their fists. Men from both sides gathered around to cheer on their brothers. The fight ended in a draw and the men returned to their lines with a new truce intact.

During the night of the 14th, as Burnside pulled his men back across the river, he had another change of heart. He decided to pull back all troops from the west side of the river. When the light dawned on the morning on the 15th the Confederates awoke to find the field abandoned. This ended the Fredericksburg campaign. But not the end of the story. The Confederate Command came down into the city to find the destruction and vandalism ravaged upon the town. The feeling among the Confederates was that the war had turned and that it was no longer an honorable fight. It was now a desperate battle of survival and the enemy had to be destroyed.

Later in the winter Burnside planned another move. He decided to send the army in a flanking maneuver. This plan ended up in the famous "mud march" and failed to produce any results. Burnside requested that Lincoln purge the officers that failed to support him or he would  resign. Lincoln did more than that. He demoted Burnside and replaced him with General Joe Hooker. And with this the Fredericksburg Campaign ended.