The American Civil War took place at the tail end of what is often termed the Little Ice Age, a period of overall colder temperature norms with an apparent atmospheric randomness that led to wide unpredictability. This curious period in time dated, according to most scholars, from roughly 1310 to 1850. And it included the "less-than"-United States of America and The Battle of Fredericksburg of 1862. It started on December 11and wrapped on the 15th; This Day in Weather History.