“the whole reason for the Battle of Gettysburg was that Lee was trying to find shoes for his bedraggled army.”
Not the case. Lee’s reason for the invasion of Pennsylvania was to inflict a major defeat on the Army of the Potomac in Northern territory.
The existence of shoes at Gettysburg was a rumor. It was thought to be true by A.P.Hill on July 1 1863.
Same difference. Lee had no intention of fighting at Gettysburg, but Heth sent some of his men there to see what they could find. “On the morning of June 30, I ordered Brigadier General [Johnston] Pettigrew to take his brigade to Gettysburg, search the town for army supplies (shoes especially), and return the same day.” They ran into opposition, and one thing led to another. In Richmond, meanwhile,a pair of shoes was selling for $125.