Williamsport Crossing

Williamsport, Maryland June 25, 1863 Platinum Canvas Collection It had been nearly two months since the battle of Chancellorsville where General Robert E. Lee had achieved his greatest victory. With the skills of his great general, "Stonewall" Jackson, Lee was able to defeat and turn back an offensive by the vastly superior Army of the Potomac led by General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. The price had been high, and some would say too costly, as another result of the battle was the loss of Lee's most talented general, Thomas J. Jackson. Lee's first reaction to the death of Jackson was that it was "God's will," and he felt sure that the Lord would raise up another leader equal to Jackson's abilities. In future campaigns he would realize that no one could fill his shoes and the loss of Jackson changed the course of the war. In May 1863 General U.S. Grant was laying siege to the strategically located city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. President Jefferson Davis called the city the "link t