Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to episode number 181 of our Civil War

Podcast. I'm Rich. And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Welcome to the podcast. With the last episode,

we talked a bit more about the second battle of Manassas and what happened after the fighting

was over, including Abraham Lincoln's controversial decision to give George McClellan command of

the combined Union armies in northern Virginia as the federal soldiers fell back into the fortifications

around Washington. Yep, John Pope was out. His army of Virginia was folded into the army of

the Potomac and Little Mac was back on top. Even as McClellan got to work sorting out the mess

after the federal disaster at second Manassas, Robert E Lee had some decisions to make after the

Confederate victory. Put very simply, Lee had to decide what to do next. In just a few short months,

Lee's victories in the seven days and at second Manassas had changed the momentum of the war in

Virginia and shifted the scene of the fighting from the outskirts of Richmond about a hundred miles

north to the outskirts of Washington. But despite his amazing victories, Robert E Lee knew he couldn't

simply rest on his laurels. In trying to decide what to do next, however, Lee now found himself faced

with a difficult dilemma because he didn't have many viable options. Despite fears in Washington,

Lee never seriously entertained thoughts of following up the retreating federal columns and

attacking the capital. The fortifications were simply too strong and the enemy forces regrouping

there outnumbered his army of northern Virginia by more than two to one. They briefly considered

two other courses of action. One was to withdraw south to a more defensible position behind the

Rapa Hennic River. There he could rest and resupply his exhausted army. The other possibility to

remain in northern Virginia seemed out of the question from a logistical standpoint since the area

had already been made desolate by war with thousands of foraging troops from both sides having

stripped the countryside of food and fodder. Aside from any other considerations, both of those

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