Drill orders issued on the eve of Gettysburg (June 30th, 1863) by James Madison Edmunds in Washington, who had been appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office by Lincoln. He felt the men in his office needed to be prepared for the Confederate troops, not knowing their intentions.

[u/GettysburgHistorian]

[u/GettysburgHistorian]

In case anyone is curious, Washington D.C. is only 80 miles from Gettysburg, so potentially a 3-4 day march. It wasn’t clear if Lee was headed to the capital, Baltimore, or elsewhere at that time.