At one point, the Army of Northern Virginia was extremely vulnerable with its back to the rain-swollen, almost impassable Potomac River, but was able to erect strong defensive positions before Meade could organize an effective attack.
På et vist tidspunkt var Army of Northern Virginia ekstremt sårbar med ryggen mod Potomacfloden, som var opsvulmet af regnvand, men de nåede at bygge stærke defensive stillinger inden Meade kunne organiserede et effektivt angreb.