The University of North Carolina Press

552 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 43 illus., 21 maps, notes, bibl., index

Civil War America

Cloth

ISBN  978-0-8078-2921-9

Published: April 2005

Retreat from Gettysburg

Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign

By Kent Masterson Brown

2005 James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize, The Civil War Library and Research Center

2005 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award, Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey

2005 Distinguished Writing Award, Army Historical Foundation

In a groundbreaking, comprehensive history of the Army of Northern Virginia's retreat from Gettysburg in July 1863, Kent Masterson Brown draws on previously untapped sources to chronicle the massive effort of General Robert E. Lee and his command as they sought to move people, equipment, and scavenged supplies through hostile territory and plan the army's next moves.

More than fifty-seven miles of wagon and ambulance trains and tens of thousands of livestock accompanied the army back to Virginia. The movement of troops and supplies over the challenging terrain of mountain passes and despite the adverse conditions of driving rain and muddy quagmires is carefully described, as are General George G. Meade's attempts to attack the trains along the South Mountain range and at Hagerstown and Williamsport, Maryland. Lee's deliberate pace, skillful use of terrain, and constant positioning of the army behind defenses so as to invite attack caused Union forces to delay their own movements at critical times.

Brown concludes that even though the battle of Gettysburg was a defeat for the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee's successful retreat maintained the balance of power in the eastern theater and left his army with enough forage, stores, and fresh meat to ensure its continued existence as an effective force.

About the Author

Kent Masterson Brown is an attorney in Lexington, Kentucky. He is author of Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander and editor of The Civil War in Kentucky.