GDG- RE: Pipe Creek

[Margaret D. Blough]

Tom,

The Susquehanna River is the eastern boundary of Cumberland County (aka "The West Shore" around here).  If you keep going east a few more miles in Cumberland County from Camp Hill, which is the farthest that Ewell's command is documented as going in at the end of June 1863, you will reach the Susquehanna River bridge (now bridges) crossing to Harrisburg (aka "The East Shore" around here).  Hotchkiss's account is additional confirmation that Harrisburg was Lee's primary target in his 1863 Pennsylvania campaign.  Harrisburg was a major railroad junction and the most secure rail line immediately north of the embattled B & O line. Furthermore, it was the capital not only of a loyal state of great importance in the 1864 presidential campaign but  also one headed by one of the leading pro-Lincoln war governors, Andrew Gregg Curtin, and it was almost defenseless.  The ANV wouldn't have had to hold Harrisburg very long, simply taking it would have enormous political and psychological signi
ficance on Union morale and even internationally.  If successful, it would have sent the message to the states loyal to the Union that Sherman's 1864 campaign in Georgia sent to the people of the rebel states in the Deep South-your government is incapable of performing one of the most fundamental acts of a functioning government-protecting its citizens.
Regards,

Margaret

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Tom Ryan" <pennmardel at mchsi.com> 

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> 
> 
> <> 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 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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