Contrary to popular belief\, the Eastern T heater during the late summer and fall of 1863 \;was anything but inco nsequential. In September 1863 the post-Gettysburg stalemate \;between Lee and Meade dissolved as each transferred parts of their armies to the& nbsp\;battlegrounds around Chattanooga. Lee&rsquo\;s early October offensi ve drove Meade \;backwards 46 miles toward Washington\, but came to gr ief at Bristoe Station in a bloody \;clash with Meade&rsquo\;s reargua rd. Unable to supply his troops so far north\, Lee pulled back \;to Cu lpeper County\, destroying the Orange &\; Alexandria railroad as he wit hdrew to slow \;the Union pursuit.
\nAs the Army of the Potomac inched forward\, Lee undertook a bold strategy to hold the \;Rappahann ock line and lure Meade into a deadly trap. Pressured by Washington to&nbs p\;fight but denied strategic flexibility\, Meade launched a risky offensi ve to force his way \;over the river and bring on a decisive battle. T hat effort saw the Federals win a handy \;victory at Kelly&rsquo\;s Fo rd and a stunning triumph at Rappahannock Station&mdash\;where they \; destroyed two entire Confederate brigades. Newly uncovered evidence shatte rs many \;of the myths surrounding Rappahannock Station\, making it po ssible to reveal how the \;fight actually unfolded\, the real reason f or Confederate defeat\, how close Lee came to \;winning\, and why Mead e failed to exploit his unexpected victory despite gaining\, \;however briefly\, the upper hand in his deadly duel with Lee.
\nAbo ut the Presenter: Jeffrey William Hunt is the Director of the Tex as Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin\, Texas\, which is the o fficial museum of the Texas National Guard\, and \;an Adjunct Professo r of History at Austin Community College\, where he has taught \;since 1988. He holds a Bachelor&rsquo\;s Degree in Government and a Master&rsqu o\;s Degree in \;History\, both from the University of Texas at Austin . Jeff is the recipient of the Chicago \;Civil War Round Table Edwin C ole Bearss Award for Outstanding Civil War Scholarship \;(2022). \ ;Mr. Hunt\, a prolific author\, is the author of Meade and Lee After Getty sburg: The \;Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign: From Fa lling Waters to Culpeper \;Court House (Savas Beatie\, 2017\, named Ea stern Theater Book of the Year by Civil \;War Books &\; Authors)
\nThis program is presented as a public service by the North Jersey Ci vil War Round \;Table.
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