History quiz

Why did General Robert E. Lee raid Maryland in 1862?

The premise of your question is incorrect. General Robert E. Lee did not raid Maryland in 1862. His campaign into Maryland was known as the Maryland Campaign, and it took place in September 1862, not 1863.

To clarify, Confederate forces under General Lee crossed into Maryland in September 1862 during the American Civil War. Lee aimed to divert Union forces away from the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and to potentially gain support for the Confederacy from the slaveholding state of Maryland. The Maryland Campaign culminated in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, which resulted in a tactical draw but a strategic victory for the Union as it halted the Confederate invasion of the North and prompted the end of slavery in Maryland.