Part 1, Lee (July 13, 1863): Chapter 1 Summary

General Robert E. Lee, while astride his white horse Traveler and on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River, observes his defeated army making its retreat from the Battle of Gettysburg. A hard rain falls. The river has swollen to near flood stage, and the current is too strong for crossing. Lee has his engineers construct a makeshift bridge. By August of 1863, Lee has successfully brought his army into Virginia south of the Rapidan River near the town of Orange.

Part 1, Lee (July 13, 1863): Chapter 1 Analysis

The opening scene in which General Lee watches his troops while seemingly trapped by a raging Potomac River sets the mood of despair and defeat. The occasional cannon and musket fire lends an air of desperation. Meade could attack at any moment, thus crushing any hope for the South. The dark mood...