A while ago I decided to cash in a few of my hotel rewards points, secure a room somewhere near Gettysburg, PA, and make the sort drive north to go see the battlefield.

Now, I’m no civil war historian, so I’ll not bore anyone with a detailed description of the battle.  However, for those who need a quick refresher, with the strong caveat that anything I write is subject to fact-checking and errors…  The battle of Gettysburg was fought when the Army of Northern Virginia ventured north out of confederate territory.  Virginia was suffering from the effects of the previous fighting and needed a break to rebuild and resupply.  Moving the battle into Union territory would provide much needed breathing space and also enable rich foraging as the poorly supplied confederate army moved through previously untouched farmland.

Another factor in the decision to head north was the Union siege at Richmond that was taking a strong toll.  Some thought/hoped that a campaign in union territory would relieve that pressure as troops were pulled back to protect Washington and deal with the incursion.  Anti-war sentiment in the North was building, and General Lee believed taking the war to the doorsteps of the union civilians would strengthen that sentiment. General Lee had also been highly successful against frightening odds, and was confident his army could break down the Union army and threaten Washington sufficiently to put the Union in a position to sue for peace.

On the union side, leadership was aware that public perception of the war was turning as the Union suffered a string of embarrassing defeats at the hands of Lee.  Lincoln had struggled to get Army leadership to take the initiative, and the result had been turmoil in the top Union ranks as one general was relieved after another.  Other nations like Great Britain might become more willing to join on the Confederate side if the Union continued to flounder.  The Union desperately needed a win.