From Virginia to Pennsylvania
In the spring of 1863 things were not going well for the Confederacy. U.S. Grant was laying siege to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Braxton Bragg had nearly been driven out of Tennessee. Only in the east were things going well and yet neither army was gaining or losing much ground but yet were driving up the casualty lists. For the Confederacy they wanted international recognition and with it French and British intervention. To do that they needed a victory, and not just any victory, but a major victory in Northern territory. Robert E. Lee proposed to do just that. He would take his army into Pennsylvania and bring the war there. At the very least he would get his and the Federal army out of Virginia and allow crops to be planted and harvested. Food was desperately needed as bread riots were breaking out and food prices were escalating. His men could live off the land in the North. He could also do damage to infrastructure by taking control as far as Harrisburg which would block the usage of the B&O Railroad as well as the Pennsylvania Railroad. Of course capturing a state capitol in the North would be a huge feather in the South’s cap as well, even if only for a day or two. Pennsylvania coal country could be cut off, meaning no anthracite coal could be supplied to the Union navy, which would have an adverse effect on the blockade.
Lee believed that the North was weary of war and just needed a push to bring about peace. He also believed that his men could do anything and that a Southern triumph was assured. Jefferson Davis was not as sure and wanted Lee to send some of his men to aid Joseph Johnston who was charged with raising the Siege of Vicksburg but Lee won out. Lee, needing to replace Stonewall Jackson divided his army into three corps rather than the current two. Jackson was replaced by Richard Ewell and a new corps was created for A.P. Hill to command. While Lee’s army was seasoned he had many new commanders occupying roles for the first time.
On June 3 the first of Lee’s men began to slip away from Fredericksburg when Ewell left followed by Longstreet and by June 5 they were near Culpeper. Joseph Hooker, the commander of the Army of the Potomac, got wind of this and sent a massive cavalry force to break up what he thought was an enemy cavalry raid. This led to the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9. After the fighting the Union cavalry withdrew and Lee’s movement continued. He used the mountains to screen his movements with his cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart blocking the passes from prying Union eyes.
Hooker was in the dark as to what Lee was doing, which allowed Lee to get a long head start. Ewell’s men arrived near Winchester on June 12 with Longstreet’s Corps nearby. The last part of the Confederate army to leave was A.P. Hill’s Corps on June 14. Hooker waited two more days before he set his army in motion. By then much of the damage was done and a herculean effort would be needed to catch up.
Winchester was garrisoned by about 7,000 Union soldiers under Robert Milroy scattered between Winchester and Berryville. Three forts defended the town. Milroy’s superior was ordered to withdraw his men from Winchester and move his command to Harper’s Ferry and the safety of it’s large garrison but he took it as a suggestion and not an order. Milroy believed he could hold the town. On June 14 Ewell began to invest Winchester and all but surrounded the garrison. That evening the Confederates began assaulting the forts and captured the westernmost one. Milroy now ordered an evacuation. Anticipating this, Ewell placed soldiers along their evacuation route and intercepted them the next morning at about 3:30 AM. After a brief firefight many of the Union soldiers surrendered. Milroy and a handful of survivors escaped and did not stop until they were well into Pennsylvania.
The haul was enormous. 4,000 prisoners and new artillery to replace the older or worn out guns in the Confederate army. It was an embarrassment to the Union. For Hooker now there could be no doubt that Lee was moving north and that he had been slow to react. His cavalry went first, fighting small battles near Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville of little consequence and his cavalry was never able to break through the Confederate screen. The infantry did not begin moving until much later, only when he learned that Lee was crossing the Potomac. Ewell was the first to cross on June 15 with Hill and Longstreet on June 24 and June 25. The Union infantry began to march north from Fredericksburg on June 16 and began arriving at the Potomac ten days layer.
Before leaving Virginia, J.E.B. Stuart asked to be allowed to raid in a separate direction. He wanted to redeem himself for being caught with his pants down at Brandy Station. At first Lee did not want to allow Stuart to take his best cavalrymen for the job but Stuart won the day. Lee would be left with four smaller brigades of cavalry while Stuart would take his three best with him. He left at 1 AM on June 25 with orders to return if his path was blocked by the Union. The next day he indeed found his path blocked by the Union army marching north but rather than turning back he waited for them to move on. After a skirmish at Fairfax Court House on June 27 he crossed the Potomac at Rowser’s Ford on June 28. He broke up the C&O Canal, tore down miles of telegraph lines and captured a supply wagon train near Rockville. He thought about entering Washington DC and put a real scare into the city but moved off instead.
In Pennsylvania volunteers were called for but few were forthcoming. Abraham Lincoln called for 100,000 men and Governor Andrew Curtain called for 50,000 men. Only 7,000 responded. Militia units from New Jersey and New York were sent to help and Darius Couch was sent to take charge to coordinate the defense. The state archives were removed from Harrisburg and thousands of refugees headed eastward to cross the Susquehanna River.
The Confederates moved first on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Near Greencastle on June 16 the first shots north of the Mason-Dixon line were fired and a Union soldier was killed. Chambersburg was occupied with Lee placing strict orders on what could be confiscated and to prevent burning and looted. All goods taken by the army would be paid for with Confederate money or with a voucher that could be submitted to Richmond after the war was over. From Chambersburg Lee’s army began to split up to forage. Ewell with the divisions of Edward Johnson and Robert Rodes moved north to Carlisle. His other division was sent east toward Gettysburg. They were to secure the bridges over the Susquehanna. One brigade under George Steuart was sent west to raid into Fulton County.
Ewell captured Carlisle quickly and moved on Harrisburg. His scouts came within site of the capitol dome and he was just about to put his column in motion on June 28 to take the capitol. He would have probably been successful as well. While Couch had constructed several small forts to defend the city and had several thousand men, they were poorly trained and ill-equipped except for the New York Militia. To the south Early brushed aside Emergency Militia troops west of Gettysburg on June 26 and entered York on June 28. There he ransomed the town. One brigade under John Gordon was sent east to Wrightsville to secure the bridge and after a brief skirmish he routed the militia forces there, who then set fire to the bridge as they retreated. With the bridge burning no buckets could be found to put out the fire but when the flames spread to the town buckets came out and Gordon’s men helped to fight the fires. He pulled back to York the next day where Early was informed he needed to return to the main army near Cashtown or Gettysburg.
Lee had found out that he had a problem. With Stuart cut off from him and the rest of his cavalry being under utilized he had no idea what his foe was doing. The Army of the Potomac was closing in much faster than he anticipated. A spy brought this information to Lee and by the time he reported Hooker’s army was in Frederick, Maryland. But it wasn’t Hooker’s army any more. He had demanded the Harper’s Ferry garrison be put under his command and the administration did not want to allow that. In the morning of June 28, Hooker was relieved of command and George Meade was elevated to command. He did not want the job but he had no choice in the matter. Meade had a screaming match with Hooker recently and when the messenger arrived he thought that he was being placed under arrest. Meade quickly took charge and began to bring the scattered wings of the army together. The Army of the Potomac continued its march north with Meade establishing his headquarters near Taneytown.
George Meade went to work quickly. Since the war had moved to his home territory he had the advantages and his intelligence was coming in quickly and accurately. Meade had a pretty good idea where Lee and his men were. He wanted to draw Lee toward Parr’s Ridge north of Westminster, Maryland and he set his engineers to work preparing it for combat. Westminster was the nearest railhead and he could use that to supply his army. His most trusted subordinate, John Reynolds, was near the village of Fairplay just north of the Mason-Dixon line with his I Corps and two other corps in supporting distance. John Buford’s cavalry division entered Gettysburg, much to the delight of the locals, and watched as a Confederate reconnaissance force withdrew to the west. Reynolds was familiar with the Gettysburg area and knew it would be a good place to fight but the question was could he convince Meade and could he do it quickly enough to concentrate the army there.
Lee was not so fortunate. Stuart had the Army of the Potomac between him and Lee. He fought a brief battle at Westminster, routing a small regiment of cavalry from Delaware before moving north. At Union Mills he hosted a party at the Shriver Farm much to the delight of his host. His brother, who lived across the road was not so happy. He was a Union man and wanted nothing to do with the party. Stuart continued on north toward Hanover, Pennsylvania. There he ran into Judson Kilpatrick’s Union cavalry. Fighting broke out in the streets of town and after several hours of fighting Kilpatrick prevailed. For a young recently-promoted brigadier general named George Custer this was the first time he had led troops in combat.
Custer was new to command. Three young captains had been promoted directly to brigadier general to try to make the cavalry more aggressive and better wielded. Custer took command of the Michigan Brigade, which had been through Gettysburg on June 27 before being directed to join Kilpatrick. Wesley Merritt took command of the Reserve Brigade and Elon Farnsworth took command of Kilpatrick’s other brigade.
Stuart moved out of Hanover and was somewhat on the run. He moved further into York County coming to Dover where his men rested. He was told that Jubal Early’s men would be nearby and Early himself heard the fighting at Hanover but did nothing to investigate nor did he leave anyone behind in case Stuart tried to find him. Stuart now moved north toward Carlisle where he thought that Ewell was. When he arrived he did not find Ewell but instead the New York Militia having a party. Ewell had been recalled south and the militia followed retaking Carlisle on June 30. When Stuart approached and called on them to surrender they were in no mood to do that. Stuart’s men were exhausted and were not up to a battle either so he brought up his artillery and opened fire on July 1. He did little damage to the militia but did blow up the gas works building and did some damage to the court house. But now he received a message from Lee that he was at Gettysburg and put his men back on the march.
Why was Lee at Gettysburg? Hill had marched his men east from Chambersburg and had sent his lead brigade to take the town. Gettysburg is the hub of a vital road network, just look at a map. It would be a boon to the Confederate effort to control the town and its roads. The commander of the force, Johnston Pettigrew, was ordered though to turn around if he encountered Federal soldiers. They did, Buford’s men, and pulled back. Hill was not happy. He thought it was just a scouting party at best and militia at worst. It was a bad impression not to swat them away so Pettigrew was ordered back the next day. Lee was also trying to bring his army together. He ordered Ewell to concentrate his force near either Cashtown or Gettysburg and began moving his men back west on June 28. Ewell’s men were only a few miles north and east of town when the battle began and he was aware that Hill was moving to Gettysburg on July 1 and he decided to move his men there as well.
George Meade had a pretty good idea that he was going to be victorious at Gettysburg. His cavalry was engaging Stuart’s horsemen all around the area starting on July 2 at Hunterstown and the following day at Fairfield. Hunterstown was a draw but Fairfield was a disaster. The 6th US Cavalry attacked Confederate cavalry under “Grumble” Jones and were soundly defeated.
Admitting defeat was not something that Robert E. Lee relished but he had to figure a way to get his army safely away while also bringing as many of his wounded with him. It would be an agonizing trip for them as he had few specialized hospital wagons at his disposal. Late at night on July 4 his army began to slip away. Cavalry under John Imboden would escort the wagons with the wounded taking the Chambersburg Pike to Greenwood and then heading south towards Williamsport and the Potomac River and his infantry would use the Fairfield Road which went through the Monterey Pass heading towards Hagerstown.
The wagon train of both columns was 15-20 miles long and made for tempting targets. Both columns were attacked by Federal cavalry, sent out by Meade who anticipated their routes. Hundreds of wagons were taken or burned and hundreds of Lee’s men became prisoners. The route was also littered with the bodies of those who died or were too sick or injured to continue. The journey was made tougher by the rain, which began to fall in torrents.
A.P. Hill’s Corps led the retreat through Fairfield with Longstreet following and the rear was brought up by Ewell’s Corps. Leaving at night allowed Lee to gain several hours on Meade who was reluctant to pursue quickly fearing that Lee would turn around and move on Washington. Lee had no intention of doing so but Meade did not know this.
When Meade’s scouts confirmed that the Confederates had left he began pursuit with some of his infantry. John Sedgewick’s VI Corps had been spared much of the battle so it was intact and began to pursue. Lee’s rear was under constant attack from Meade’s cavalry starting at Monterey Pass on July 4 where Judson Kilpatrick’s cavalry was stopped only by darkness. Kilpatrick continued to Smithsburg, Maryland on the other side of the Catoctins and again fought Stuart in an indecisive fight. Kilpatrick withdrew to consolidate his prisoners and booty.
Sedgewick was following, leaving Gettysburg on the morning of July 5 and passed through Fairfield and began to skirmish with Ewell’s rear guard. While only a Confederate skirmish line held the area Sedgewick and Meade’s chief engineer Gouverneur Warren believed that Lee was bringing his whole army to bear. Sedgewick pursued them to the Monterey Pass and no further.
Kilpatrick began to move again and advanced on Hagerstown. He drove two brigades of Confederate cavalry back before Confederate infantry stopped him and drove his men back through the streets. John Buford was also nearby with his division and moving on Imboden’s train and advanced on them on July 7 as dusk approached. Imboden’s men held them off.
Now it was Stuart’s turn to advance on July 8. He moved with five brigades on Boonsboro and engaged Buford and Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick’s left crumbled as they ran out of ammunition and ran. Stuart pursued but was stopped by Union infantry late in the evening. Stuart regrouped at Funkstown. His presence there threatened the Union pursuit so Buford was sent to drive him off on July 10. Buford’s men ran out of ammunition but infantry on both sides arrived and fought to a draw. Buford withdrew and rejoined Kilpatrick to hold Boonsboro.
More help was on the way for the Union army. William French and the Harper’s Ferry garrison were moving to aid Meade. His men destroyed a bridge at Harper’s Ferry and occupied Maryland Heights hemming in Lee’s men.
The Union infantry was exhausted. They had been marching and fighting nearly every day since mid-June. They had outpaced their supply lines and were starving by the time the fighting ended at Gettysburg. Their shoes and clothing was worn. It was a rare instance where the Confederate army was better clad and fed. Meade was still under orders to protect Baltimore and Washington so he had to choose a route that both allowed for pursuit of Lee and covered the cities. That meant that he had a longer route to follow towards the Potomac. All things considered, he did quite well.
Lee’s engineers had gone ahead to select a crossing site and to fortify a line. They had a 6 mile long line stretching from 1 1/2 miles southwest of Hagerstown to Downsville. The only road south to the Potomac was covered near Williamsport. The earthworks were impressive and Lee’s men still had plenty of fight in them.
The problem for Lee was that he could not escape. It had rained nearly everyday since the battle ended and the Potomac was a flood stage. A flatboat was used to evacuate some wounded and to bring ammunition back across the river but it was slow going. The river level needed to go down before he could cross it. To make matters worse his pontoon bridge had been destroyed by Union raiders so he had to built a new one using any wood he could get his hands on.
The Union army arrived on July 12 and Meade intended to assault the works the next day. That night he discussed it with his subordinates who were not in favor of an attack. No reconnaissances had been performed they argued. The position was scouted the next day and a reconnaissance in force was ordered for July 14.
Lee’s pontoon bridge was completed on July 13 and he grew tired of waiting for Meade to attack so he began to withdraw his men back into Virginia that night. By the time Meade’s reconnaissance went forward the next day only a handful of Confederate soldiers remained. A small battle was fought at Fallen Timbers and a Confederate general was mortally wounded but that was the extent of the damage. Lee and his army was safely back in Virginia where it would live to fight another day.
