The mansion was the site of General George G. Meade's takeover of command of the Army of the Potomac of the Union Army from General Joseph Hooker immediately before the Battle of Gettysburg, under last-minute orders from President Abraham Lincoln. Hooker had been defeated by General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Virginia, a few weeks earlier.
The mansion served as the site where General George G. Meade took over command of the Union Army's Army of the Potomac from General Joseph Hooker right before the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, following President Abraham Lincoln's urgent orders. Hooker had previously suffered a defeat at the hands of General Robert E. Lee in Virginia during the Battle of Chancellorsville.