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General Lee attempts to hold the Rappahannock line, yet General Meade launches a risky offensive resulting in victories at Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station.
Contrary to popular belief, the Eastern Theater during the late summer and fall of 1863 was anything but inconsequential. In September 1863 the post-Gettysburg stalemate between Lee and Meade dissolved as each transferred parts of their armies to the battlegrounds around Chattanooga. Lee’s early October offensive drove Meade backwards 46 miles toward Washington, but came to grief at Bristoe Station in a bloody clash with Meade’s rearguard. Unable to supply his troops so far north, Lee pulled back to Culpeper County, destroying the Orange & Alexandria railroad as he withdrew to slow the Union pursuit.
As the Army of the Potomac inched forward, Lee undertook a bold strategy to hold the Rappahannock line and lure Meade into a deadly trap. Pressured by Washington to fight but denied strategic flexibility, Meade launched a risky offensive to force his way over the river and bring on a decisive battle. That effort saw the Federals win a handy victory at Kelly’s Ford and a stunning triumph at Rappahannock Station—where they destroyed two entire Confederate brigades. Newly uncovered evidence shatters many of the myths surrounding Rappahannock Station, making it possible to reveal how the fight actually unfolded, the real reason for Confederate defeat, how close Lee came to winning, and why Meade failed to exploit his unexpected victory despite gaining, however briefly, the upper hand in his deadly duel with Lee.
About the Presenter: Jeffrey William Hunt is the Director of the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, which is the official museum of the Texas National Guard, and an Adjunct Professor of History at Austin Community College, where he has taught since 1988. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and a Master’s Degree in History, both from the University of Texas at Austin. Jeff is the recipient of the Chicago Civil War Round Table Edwin Cole Bearss Award for Outstanding Civil War Scholarship (2022). Mr. Hunt, a prolific author, is the author of Meade and Lee After Gettysburg: The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign: From Falling Waters to Culpeper Court House (Savas Beatie, 2017, named Eastern Theater Book of the Year by Civil War Books & Authors)
This program is presented as a public service by the North Jersey Civil War Round Table.
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