We Must Now Return to Virginia
We Must Now Return to Virginia
This chapter examines how General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, planned his retreat to Virginia during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, at the height of the Civil War. Lee discussed with his three commanders—Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (First Corps), Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell (Second), and Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill (Third)—the details of returning to their base in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Two roads that were critical to their plan to traverse the South Mountain range were the Chambersburg Pike through Cashtown Pass and the Fairfield Road through Monterey Pass. Both roads led from Gettysburg to the Cumberland Valley, but Lee chose the Fairfield Road and Monterey Pass. The chapter also considers the challenges that Lee had to deal with as he and his army made their tortuous journey back to Virginia, including the shortage of ambulances and spring wagons in the trains to carry all the thousands of sick and wounded.
Keywords: retreat, Robert E. Lee, Northern Virginia, Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War, James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, Ambrose Powell Hill, Virginia, South Mountain range
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