GDG- RE: Pipe Creek

[Tom Ryan]

<<I think the Hotchkiss map was a map that jackson had requestyed a year or
so
earlier>>

The Hotchkiss diary entry was dated February 23, 1863, right around the time
that Lee began seriously thinking about invading the North.  The complete
entry on this subject reads as follows:

"I got secret orders from the General [Jackson] to prepare a map of the
Valley of Va. extended to Harrisburg, Pa., and then on to
Philadelphia;--wishing the preparation to be kept a profound secret.  So I
went to reducing a map of Cumberland Co., Pa."

Hotchkiss started work on the map the next day, and worked on it for a
couple weeks, then on March 4 made this entry:

"As I had nearly finished the map of Cumberland Co. I wanted some more to
add to it, I therefore went up to Gen. Lee's to obtain others, or rather to
Gen. Stuart's, Capt. Blackford having them."

Hotchkiss says he finished the "map of Cumberland Co., Pa." on March 10.
Cumberland County is north of Adams Co. and runs from about Shippensburg
east to the Susquehanna River.  This, of course, was just one part of the
overall map that Jackson requested.

What these passages suggest, I believe, is that Jackson had been encouraging
Lee for some time to invade the North, and do as much damage as possible to
its capability to conduct warfare.  Lee had been hesitant about the idea
earlier, but now decided it was time to take the war into Northern
territory.  Hooker's aggressiveness that led to the Battle of
Chancellorsvile delayed these plans until early June when the the invasion
took place.

Tom Ryan