What was the situation facing Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the beginning of June 1862?

Answer 1

When Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed General Robert E. Lee to command the defenses of Richmond, Lee faced a difficult task. He had been able to amass an army composed of forces from eastern Virginia and North Carolina. Lee had 85,000 troops for the defense of Richmond. In fact, Lee would never command more troops than he had now. Even his raid into Pennsylvania in 1863 which would develop into the Battle of Gettysburg, would have him with 75,000 troops. That was not the case in June of 1862 where he faced the artillery and troops of the greatest army America had ever assembled, some 200,000 Federal troops. Its cannons and troops were in range of Richmond. Davis and the South were depending on Lee to come up with a miracle.