Chapter 5: The Second Invasion of the North Gets Under Way

As 1863 begins, the South faces increasing threats across three fronts:

• In Tennessee after Braxton Bragg’s pivotal losses at Stones River in December 1862 and his failed Tullahoma campaign in June;
  
• In Mississippi with U.S. Grant’s siege of Vicksburg well under way; and
  
• Across the board after Lincoln’s January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation offers freedom to all those enslaved in the South.

These concerns prompt Lee to embark on a second invasion of the North, intended to relieve pressure on Confederate forces across the mid-South, and to enable southern farmers to bring in their much needed food and cotton crops.