GDG- RE: Pipe Creek

[Tom Ryan]

Regarding the previous posts about whether Lee was targeting Harrisburg
during his 1862 campaign, it is interesting to note that, according to the
mapmaker Jed Hotchkiss, in preparation for the 1863 campaign Lee instructed
him "to prepare a map of the Valley of Va. extended to Harrisburg, Pa., and
then on to Philadelphia...."

If Hotchkiss' memory is accurate, this is a pretty good indication of where
Lee intended to go and what cities he was targeting.  As things turned out,
we know that Harrisburg was a definite target, while it is unclear whether
he intended to continue on to Philadelphia once Harrisburg was secured.

While there may not be evidence that Lee was targeting Harrisburg in 1862,
one could surmise based on his 1863 strategy that it may well have been.

Tom Ryan


<<In 1862, Lee stated the primary objective of his first invasion of the
> North was Harrisburg, the capital of the second largest state in the
> Union and an extremely important rail (and canal) center linking the
> eastern and western states of the Union. Even a short occupation of
> Harrisburg would have had strategic consequences, perhaps equal to the
> later capture of Atlanta by the Union.>>

<<In early September 1862, Lee wrote a letter to Davis which included this
statement: "Should the results of the expedition justify it, I propose to
enter Pennsylvania...".However, Joe Harsh ("TAKEN AT THE FLOOD") makes it
clear that Lee appears to be considering nothing more than entering
Chambersburg area (extreme southern PA).

There is myth promulgated by Brig Gen John Walker that during a meeting with
Lee at the onset of the Maryland Campaign, Lee stated "and march to this
point" placing his finger at Harrisburg. "This is the object point of the
campaign." Harsh does a superb job of de-bunking much of Walker's account of
that meeting.>>