Pipe Creek Defense Line, circa 1863

 place with historical importance, interesting place, historical layer / disappeared object, American Civil War 1861-1865

Located along a twenty-mile row of hills that followed Big Pipe Creek, the Pipe Creek Line was formed by General George G. Meade to defend all major rail and road routes that connected south central Pennsylvania to Baltimore and Washington, DC from Confederate attack.

General Robert E. Lee at that time was in Pennsylvania with his Army of Northern Virginia. Lee's decision to move into Northern Territory and Pennsylvania served several purposes, according to Ronald A. Church:

"...it would give war torn Virginia a much needed respite, and would allow the Army of Northern Virginia to provision itself from his enemy's resources. The invasion into Pennsylvania might also cause the Federal government to shift troops from the west possibly loosening the grip of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's siege on Vicksburg. But probably foremost in Gen. Lee's mind was his confidence in the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia, this confidence was equally matched by the soldiers own confidence in Lee. Gen. Lee steadfastly believed that if he could find and prepare ground which was to his advantage, the Army of Northern Virginia in the pitched battle would defeat the Union Army on its own soil. This, Lee reasoned might possibly have caused the war-weary north to sue for peace. It might also have been the military stroke needed to demonstrate to Great Britain and France, the strength of the Southern will for independence.

"Lee's overall plan was simple; the strategy was offensive, but his tactics and the battle, would be defensive. He would locate terrain favorable to his army, then by threatening eastward toward Harrisburg and Philadelphia, or southward toward Baltimore and Washington, draw the Army of the Potomac out to give him battle on ground he had selected and prepared. Union frontal assaults against prepared confederate entrenchments, and confederate control of the high ground had brought about a Union debacle at Fredericksburg. Gen. Lee hoped to be able to bring about a repeat of this signal Union defeat somewhere on northern soil."

The Pipe Creek Line was a defense against Lee's threat to attack Baltimore and DC. The line also acted as a reserve line in the case that a Union fallback from Gettysburg was necessary. On 1 July 1863, events already unfolding at Gettysburg would compel General Meade to abandon the Pipe Creek Line and order a general advance on Gettysburg.

Church's essay at CivilWarHome.com, linked below and quoted above, is an excellent source of information about the wheres, whys and whens, as well as controversy surrounding Meade's decision to form and then abandon the line.


More can be found at these websites:

www.civilwarhome.com/pcl.htm
www.gdg.org/Research/OOB/Union/July1-3/dtpipecr.html
polyticks.com/Hole/roadsn.htm
www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3002