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sadly disappointed, for they knew less of
Meade; but, impelled by the love of country, the shadow of regret soon passed from their brows, and they were ready and willing to trust and follow their New Commander.
To him
General Halleck gave permission to use the garrison at
Harper's Ferry, according to the dictates of his own judgment.
In fact the Army was placed under
Meade's absolute control, with the assurance of the
President that no exercise of executive authority or powers of the
Constitution should interfere with his operations in the great emergency.
With these extraordinary powers and responsibilities,
General Meade prepared to meet
General Lee in battle.
on the day when Meade assumed the chief command,
Lee, who was about to cross the
Susquehanna at
Harrisburg, and march on
Philadelphia, was alarmed by intelligence of the presence of the Army of the Potomac, in augmented force, threatening his flank and rear, and the demonstrations on his front of the gathering yeomanry of
Pennsylvania and troops from other States.
He instantly abandoned his scheme of further invasion, and ordered a retrograde movement.
Stuart on the same day crossed the
Potomac at
Seneca, with a large force of his cavalry, captured men and destroyed property near the
River,
1 and, pushing on to
Westminster, at the right of the Army of the Potomac, swept across its front to
Carlisle, encountering
Kilpatrick on the way, and then followed in the track of
Ewell, toward
Gettysburg.
The latter had been directed to recall his columns, and take position near
Gettysburg, the capital of
Adams County; and
Longstreet and
Hill were ordered to cross the
South Mountain range in the same direction, and press on by the
Chambersburg road, leading through
Gettysburg to
Baltimore.
The object was to keep
Meade from
Lee's communications, and to concentrate the Confederate Army for either defensive or offensive operations.
Lee hoped to be able, by such concentration, to fall upon and crush the Army of the Potomac, and then march in triumph upon
Baltimore and
Washington.
He was nervous about fighting so far from his base, so he chose the vicinity of
Gettysburg for that concentration, because, in the event of defeat, he would have a direct line of retreat to the
Potomac.
in the mean time General Meade had put his entire Army in motion northward from Frederick, for the purpose of arresting the invasion, or meeting and fighting Lee; and General French was directed to evacuate Harper's Ferry, remove the public property to Washington, and occupy Frederick and the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railway.
Meade moved on, but it was not until the evening of the 30th,
after two marches, that he received correct information of
Lee's movements,
