Credit: Courtesy of the Massachusetts Commandery Military Order of the Loyal Legion and the U.S. Army Military History Institute
After the sound thrashing he delivered to the Yankees at Chancellorsville in May, Lee believed the time was right for another invasion of the North. Screened by the mountains to his east, Lee began moving north through the Shenandoah Valley in June, 1863. Shown here, the Valley Turnpike was one of Lee's primary roads north. Lee expected his move north would draw the Army of the Potomac out of Virginia and give southern farmers some relief from two years of war. He also expected to collect supplies from the abundance of the Pennsylvania countryside, and a battle victory on northern soil might still convince a European nation to aide the South. There was even talk of recruiting thousands of Pennsylvania horses to the cause of the Confederacy!
