Hey everyone, welcome to the 325th episode of our Civil War Podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

As y'all recall, we used the last episode to talk about the fight at the railroad cut

at Gettysburg on the morning of July 1st, 1863.

And we said that after that, starting at about noon, for the next couple or several

hours, a load descended across the battlefield.

And at the end of the last show, we said we thought we'd take advantage of that pause

in the action on the battlefield, and use this episode, and the next, to turn our attention

back to the two army commanders, and see what was going on with Robert E. Lee and George

Meade.

As y'all recall, back on June 28th, when Meade was ordered to take command of the army of

the Potomac, General-in-Chief Henry Hallack had told him, quote, no one ever received

a more important command, end quote.

Hallack said this because Meade was being thrust into command in the midst of an ongoing

campaign, when battle was imminent, and everyone realized that following the disasters at

Fredericksburg and Chancellor'sville, the army of the Potomac could ill afford to lose

another fight, especially one waged on northern soil.

With the understanding that Meade's mission was to defeat the Confederate army that had

invaded Pennsylvania, Hallack told Meade that he wouldn't be hindered by any micro-managing

...