7. The Maryland Campaign in 1862
When Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland in early September, 1862, his main objectives included food for his troops. Two years of war in Virginia exhausted that state’s ability to feed the Confederate troops and the civilian population. Lee also hoped that his army would receive the support of Marylanders, since the border state was a slave state with many of its men serving in the Confederate Army. Lee miscalculated. Most of the slave owners in Maryland were in the southeast portion of the state, well outside the paths of his advancing troops. He received a hostile reception from the civilian population, which cooperated with the Union troops under George McClellan as they advanced to halt Lee.
Traveling with Lee’s army, which advanced up the Shenandoah Valley into western Maryland, were an estimated 2,000 slaves serving as wagoners and foragers. They accompanied the army to gather as much foodstuffs and other supplies as could be had during the campaign. Maryland being a slave state, and the countryside around dominated by Confederate troops, made attempted escape to freedom unwise. Few attempted. Lee was stopped at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. His retreat back to Virginia was leisurely however, and the mission of obtaining supplies for the Army continued as it withdrew to Virginia and encampments along the Rappahannock River. In the winter of 1862-63, Lee’s army was relatively well-fed, thanks in large part to the efforts of its camp slaves.