Harrison is a spy hired by General Longstreet. Working behind enemy lines, he discovers important changes in the location, strength, and leadership of the Union Army. He has identified some of the units and determined where they are going and how fast they are moving. Though it is raining and almost dark, a dangerous way to approach a Confederate camp with its sentries, he does so anyway, feeling the message cannot wait.
Harrison’s reception is marked by suspicion and disdain, as various Confederate officers question the validity of the spy and his information. Even Longstreet struggles with whether to trust him. The deciding factors are the nature of the news he brings and the lack of any concrete information from General J.E.B. Stuart. Stuart is supposed to be the Confederate Army’s eyes and ears, but he has failed to contact Lee for several days. In Stuart’s absence, Longstreet has no choice but to take a chance that Harrison is telling the truth. He brings Harrison to see General Lee.
Harrison gives his information to Lee and is then dismissed. Lee and Longstreet privately discuss what they have learned, Stuart’s lengthy absence, and the implications of Meade as the new Union commander. Lee, though concerned about moving “on the word of a paid spy,” orders the army to Gettysburg and the ultimate showdown with the Union Army.
