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I've always thought that General Lee was one of our countries greatest tacticians, but he really blew it during the summer months of 1863. Why fight at Gettysburg? He could have easily turned south towards the capital or even an easier victory that would have been to turn west towards Pittsburgh and burn it to the ground. Thereby destroying a lot of the Union's supplies. I'm sure Sun Tszu would have recommended that.

A big answer to your questions lies 8-10 miles West of Gettysburg. Cashtown Gap. Anyone desiring a good understanding of Lee's situation at Gettysburg needs to go there, drive up into the Gap past the old Cashtown Inn.

Cashtown Gap was Lee's escape hatch back into VA. He was deep in foreign/enemy territory yet never had any intent to do what Winfield Scott did during the Mexican War (and what Sherman would do later in the Civil War) and completely cut his army off and have it live off the land as it sought to bring about a decisive strategic win.

As much as Lee desired a penultimate fight with the Army of the Potomac, he was up in PA to relieve pressure on the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia through a good portion of the planting and harvesting season. He was going to engage (and hopefully destroy) the AoTP if he caught it out in the open and on his own terms. But otherwise he was going back to VA at some point. He HAD to keep Cashtown Gap open as a path of withdrawl/retreat in case he needed to.

It created a pretty restricted situation for both Armies. Meade couldn't allow Lee to get behind him and between the Army of the Potomac and Washington, while Lee couldn't allow Meade to get between the Army of Northern Virginia and Cashtown Gap. In essence, once battle was engaged (with Ewell coming in from the North and the AoTP coming up from the SE, neither army had the option of maneuvering either North or South. They could either go forward, or backward.

As much as Lee desired a penultimate fight with the Army of the Potomac, he was up in PA to relieve pressure on the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia through a good portion of the planting and harvesting season.

That is accurate, but Lee also intended to raid Harrisburg PA. Harrisburg was an important spot both strategically -- major rail center, and psychologically -- the capital of the 2nd largest Union state.

Only the confrontation at Gettysburg, a day or two march south of Harrisburg stopped Lee from getting there.