At the end of the July 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac returned to the line of the upper Rappahannock. After a brief respite, both Robert E. Lee and George Meade expected the next phase of the Gettysburg campaign to begin shortly.  Instead, each general found himself buffeted by events that disrupted his plans and thwarted his desires throughout August and September 1863.  In the span of seven weeks, three major cavalry battles were fought in or around Culpeper County, as military and political leaders from both sides made war-altering strategic decisions amid draft riots, manpower woes, and the campaigns for Chattanooga. This period represents the critical connective tissue between Gettysburg and the upcoming Bristoe Station and Mine Run campaigns which would decide whether Meade would pick the fruits of his Pennsylvania victory or be denied its rewards by Lee.

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

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