One hundred fifty years ago in western Maryland on the northern banks of the Potomac River, the armies of Robert E. Lee and George G. Meade were preparing for what might be the climactic battle of the Civil War. Following his defeat at Gettysburg, Lee was trying to retreat to the safety of Virginia, but heavy rain had swollen the Potomac River, preventing his crossing. As Lee waited for the waters to recede, the Union Army of the Potomac was slowly moving closer.

Alanson Haines, the 33-year-old chaplain of the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Regiment, wrote of the situation.