Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/433

Rh to join him. His force in hand for this important, aggressive northern campaign was about 60,000 men. As he entered Pennsylvania he issued an order instructing his army that "No private property shall be injured or destroyed;" an order that was rigidly enforced during all the campaign that followed.

Feeling that his left was securely guarded by Jones and Imboden, and his advance by Jenkins, Lee, looking after the safety of his right, wrote to Stuart, on the 22d: "Do you know where Hooker is, and what he is doing? I fear he will steal a march on us and get across the Potomac before we are aware. If you find that he is moving northward, and that two brigades can guard the Blue ridge and take care of your rear, you can move with the other three into Maryland and take position on General Ewell's right, place yourself in communication with him, guard his flank, keep him informed of the enemy's movements, and collect all the supplies you can for the use of the army." On the same day he directed Ewell to move toward the Susquehanna and, "if Harrisburg comes within your means, capture it."

On the 23d of June, Ewell was marching rapidly up the Cumberland valley toward Carlisle, while Lee was preparing to lead the First and Third corps across the Potomac to follow him. Stuart was enjoined to keep two of his brigades of cavalry along the eastern foot of the Blue ridge between Lee and Hooker, while a large discretion was granted him in the movement of the three other brigades under his immediate command, with the sole condition that he should, "as speedily as possible," join Ewell's advance, which, he was informed, had been sent under Early across the South mountain to York, to gather supplies and levy contributions on that wealthy Pennsylvania town. Lee's last word to Stuart reached the latter during the night of the 23d of June. On that day Lee wrote to Davis again urging him to gather all the troops he could and send them, under Beauregard, to Culpeper Court House, as a menace to Washington, and therefore a virtual reinforcement to his own movement, but without leaving Richmond defenseless.

Justly alarmed by Lee's bold and rapid movement toward the very heart of Pennsylvania, the Federal government called for 100,000 new troops to defend that State; concentrated a considerable force in Maryland,