Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to episode 302 of our Civil War podcast.

I'm Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Welcome to the podcast.

Since his return from Richmond, Robert E. Lee had been working with Little Rest to get

the Army of Northern Virginia ready to carry out his plan for a strike up into enemy territory.

Lee planned to march north across the Potomac River in Dmerland and then on up into Pennsylvania.

Such a movement would not only disrupt any plans the Federal Commander, Joe Hooker, might

have for a summer campaign, but it would take the armies out of war-ravaged central Virginia

and give the people of Lee's home state a much needed respite from the hardhand of war.

Another of Lee's goals for the new campaign was for his army to gather desperately needed

supplies from a region previously untouched by the hardhand of war.

You see, all through the winter of 1862-63, the army of Northern Virginia had suffered

severe shortages of food for its men and fodder for its horses and mules.

And so as a solution to his serious logistical problems, Lee was counting on the fact that

an invasion of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 would take his army into a bountiful

region where it could obtain critical supplies.

And then Robert E. Lee was also going north because he was looking to win a battlefield

victory of real consequence.

After almost a year in command, such a victory still eluded Lee.

He had been left intensely frustrated after defeating the Federals at Fredericksburg and

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