After the Confederate victory in the 1863 Battle ofChancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee saw an opportunity toconduct a major raid on Harrisburg Pennsylvania, the state'scapitol. Union forces were not prepared to halt Lee's crossing ofthe Potomac River. The best response for the Union was to pursueLee with the Army of the Potomac, led at the time by Major GeneralJoseph Hooker. President Lincoln had lost confidence in GeneralHooker and appointed Major General George Meade to command theUnion's prize army. Meade's goal was to catch the Confederates andend their raid into Pennsylvania.