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7. The Gettysburg Campaign
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Chapter 7 The Gettysburg Campaign I n early May 1863 Imboden's Northwestern Brigade was at Bulltown in Braxton County. Late that month, however, Lee ordered him to reposition his brigade "by easy marches" at some point down the Shenandoah Valley, preferably to Shenandoah Mountain or a similar location, where he could "keep strict watch on the movement of the enemy." On June 1 Imboden moved to Buffalo Gap near Staunton in Augusta County. There his men enjoyed a considerable improvement in their diet. During the raid into West Virginia they had made do with salt beef and a half pound ofmeal per man per day. Now they enjoyed fresh beef, corn, molasses, and bacon.I Securing fresh mounts was a constant problem, and in Buffalo Gap Imboden was also able to replace worn-out horses as well as acquire new wagons. His men also received new uniforms. The week-long stay at Buffalo Gap was short, but it certainly rejuvenated his command. Imboden then shifted his brigade westward, to Monterey in Highland County. Maj. Gen. Samuel Jones was increasingly agitated about Imboden's status. While he had significantly strengthened Imboden's force for the raid into West Virginia, he had sought to bring Imboden under his own control by asking that he report to him. Jones now intensified this effort . At the end ofMay he wrote Lee: "I do not understand the status of General Imboden and his command. Does he report directly to you? Is he to operate in the Valley, or west ofhis present camp? Ifthe latter, he 139 140 Brigadier GeneralJohn D. Imboden should report to me, and be under my orders. He captured something over 165 mules and 32 wagons at Summerville [sic], all of which he took with him out ofmy department, though I contributed to his expedition two-thirds of the men."2 Lee did not mince words in his response: "General Imboden's command was organized for service in Northwestern Virginia and the Valley , and he reports directly to me. I have instructed him to operate in the Valley and on the line toward Staunton, Huttonsville, Cheat Mountain , Monterey, and the Potomac."3 Imboden's men were not idle long, for they soon took part in General Lee's invasion ofPennsylvania that culminated in the great Battle of Gettysburg. Lee's objectives in his second invasion of the North were limited. General Hooker's Army of the Potomac, Lee believed, was rebuilding its strength for a push south to Richmond. If there had to be fighting that summer, Lee wanted it to be in the North, in conditions of his choosing. His plan was to move beyond the Blue Ridge, cross the Potomac River, and then march east, threatening Philadelphia and Baltimore . This would cut Washington's communications with the rest of the country and put pressure on Hooker to attack him. Lee also expected to bring the war home to a part of the North as a way to add to antiwar sentiment there, and, more important, secure needed cattle, horses, foodstuffs, and other supplies from the rich Cumberland Valley, as the extension of the Shenandoah was known in Pennsylvania. To strengthen his cavalry for the invasion, Lee recalled Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones's Cavalry Brigade offour regiments and a battalion operating in the Shenandoah Valley. To replace Jones, he ordered Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins's Brigade ofcavalry sent to Staunton or some other convenient location. These men were not well trained and were often referred to as mounted infantry. Theywere assigned to II Corps, now under Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell, who took command following "Stonewall" Jackson's death from his fatal wound at Chancellorsville. These men accompanied II Corps into Pennsylvania and proved their worth in the campaign. Lee also secured Brig. Gen. Beverly Robertson's small 'command of two regiments from North Carolina. Finally, Lee ordered Imboden to ready his command for the northern invasion. While some of Imboden's men were probably even more untrained and illdisciplined than Jenkins's command, they could ride and shoot well and [44.222.196.236] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:42 GMT) The Gettysburg Campaign 141 they could drive cattle. These skills were certainly sufficient for them to act as auxiliaries for gathering intelligence, screening Lee's forces, foraging , and protecting wagon trains.4 At the end of May, Lee's forces were positioned south of the Rappahannock River in and near Fredericksburg; Hooker's army lay...