If the Confederate Army had invaded the Union more than in July 1863,

[Laelth]

31. After some brief research ...

Coddington says Lee wanted to give Virginia a rest (by insuring that the Summer campaign did not occur on Southern soil) and to collect supplies in the North. That makes sense to me. Lee was also under pressure to aid in the defense of Vicksburg by sending troops into the Western theater, but rather than doing so, he decided to invade the North in the hopes that the North would pull troops away from Vicksburg to defend D.C. That makes sense to me as well. Ultimately, Coddington says, Lee just wanted to delay the war until the Fall of 1864 when, he believed, the "friends of peace" would sweep the Republicans out of office and put an end to the war. In the mean time, however, it appears Lee just wanted to get the war out of Virginia and to collect supplies in the North.

In that sense, I stand corrected. While railroad lines and telegraph lines were cut by the Army of Northern Virginia all the way up to Harrisburg, it seems that Lee, at least, had no intention of "severing the North" in 1863. Perhaps I am recalling some blowhard in Richmond who was still demanding that strategy, but Lee wasn't really taking orders from Richmond at that time. He was, pretty much, on his own and free to make his own decisions.

If you find out more, please let me know. Thanks.

-Laelth