"Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken": Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863

by Thomas J. Ryan, Richard R. Schaus

Overview

Thousands of books and articles examine nearly every aspect of the Civil War, but the important retreat of the armies from the Gettysburg battlefield to the Potomac River has been but little covered. Until now, no one had produced a critical analysis of the command decisions made during that fateful time based upon available intelligence. “Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken”: Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg, July 4 to July 14, 1863, by Thomas J. Ryan and Richard R. Schaus, now available in paperback, rectifies this oversight.

This comprehensive day-by-day account, which begins after the end of the Gettysburg battle, examines how Maj. Gen. George G. Meade organized and motivated his Army of the Potomac in response to President Abraham Lincoln’s mandate to bring about the “literal or substantial destruction” of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s defeated and retreating Army of Northern Virginia. As far as Lincoln was concerned, if Meade aggressively pursued and confronted Lee before he could escape across the flooded Potomac River, “the rebellion would be over.”

The long and bloody three-day battle exhausted both armies. Both commanders faced the difficult tasks of rallying their troops for more marching and fighting. Lee had to keep his army organized and motivated enough to conduct an orderly withdrawal into Virginia. Meade faced the same organizational and motivational challenges with the added expectation of catching and defeating a still-dangerous enemy. Central to their decision-making was the information they received from their intelligence gathering resources about the movements, intentions, and capability of the enemy. The eleven-day period after Gettysburg was a battle of wits to determine which commander better understood the information he received and directed his army accordingly. Prepare for some surprising revelations.

Ryan and Schaus rely on a host of primary sources to craft their study, including letters, memoirs, diaries, official reports, newspapers, and telegrams. The threading of these intelligence gems creates a gripping narrative with a significant amount of new information—which the authors use to offer their own direct and often damning conclusions. “Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken” is a sequel to Thomas Ryan’s Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign (Savas Beatie, 2015), the recipient of the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award and Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Distinguished Book Award.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611215427
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	01/03/2022
Pages:	372
Sales rank:	238,272
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Thomas J. “Tom” Ryan earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland and an M.A. from American University. He retired after 38 years in intelligence-related capacities for the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. His book Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign won the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award and the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Distinguished Book Award.

Richard R. Schaus, Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Ret.), served on active duty for more than 30 years in a variety of army and joint military intelligence assignments both at home and abroad. Rick is a lifelong student of the Civil War and American military history in general, and the Gettysburg Campaign in particular.

Table of Contents

Prologue Edwin C. Bearss vii

Foreword Ted Alexander ix

Preface xiii

Introduction xvi

Chapter 1 July 4, 1863: The Union Army's Task is Not Yet Accomplished 1

Chapter 2 July 5, 1863: Lee in Full Retreat 35

Chapter 3 July 6, 1863: The Rebel Army is Vulnerable 60

Chapter 4 July 7, 1863: Lincoln Seeks the Destruction of Lee's Army 81

Chapter 5 July 8, 1863: Anticipating the Final Battle 102

Chapter 6 July 9, 1863: Meade Argues Information is Lacking 122

Chapter 7 July 10, 1863: The Rebel Army is Considered Demoralized 143

Chapter 8 July 11, 1863: The Meade-Lee Chess Match Continues 163

Chapter 9 July 12, 1863: The Price of Meade's Circumspect Leadership 190

Chapter 10 July 13, 1863: The Final Hours of Decision 213

Chapter 11 July 14, 1863: The Magnitude of the Misfortune of Lee's Escape 241

Chapter 12 Aftermath 271

Chapter 13 Assessments 292

Appendix 1 Meade and the BMI: An Uneasy Relationship 302

Appendix 2 Bureau of Military Information Reports 304

Appendix 3 President Lincoln's Unsent Letter to General Meade 308

Bibliography 310

Index 327

Acknowledgments follow the index

Editorial Reviews

"A scholarly, in-depth study...Expertly researched, featuring black-and-white maps, a thorough bibliography, and an index, 'Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken' is a welcome addition to public and college library Civil War shelves."

Midwest Book Review

"One of the lingering mysteries not examined [in Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign] was the role intelligence played during the 11 days of opportunity after the battle. Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken fills that gap."

Intelligence in Public Literature

"...a remarkable accomplishment of scholarship. Using scores of enlisted men's letters and reflections, commissioned officers' reports, newspaper articles, and civilian recollections Ryan and Schaus offer a fast-paced, day-by-day account of the decisions and the happenstances of the Army of Northern Virginia's flight from Gettysburg as the Army of the Potomac attempted to catch the fast-moving Rebels."

The NYMAS Review

"Ryan and Schaus's book also has a unique emphasis, in this case the role of military intelligence."

Civil War Books and Authors