Lee foolishly thought Pickett’s men could deliver the impossible, that Southern muskets and bayonets could redeem the mess of a battle that Gettysburg had become. Lee would have been better served by either withdrawing or maneuvering into a better position so as to force Meade into a disadvantageous attack.
Lee at Gettysburg was at a tactical disadvantage. He was locked on opposing ridge lines with an opponent who had a secure flank, and sufficient cavalry to guard the other. He couldn’t just withdraw without giving up a chunk of his baggage train & artillery park, so Pickett’s Charge was his solution. But many people forget that there was a large confederate cavalry assault that punched through the union right and attempted to meet Pickett’s men from the opposite direction. If those cavalrymen had succeeded...
“Lee foolishly thought Pickett’s men could deliver the impossible, that Southern muskets and bayonets could redeem the mess of a battle that Gettysburg had become. Lee would have been better served by either withdrawing or maneuvering into a better position so as to force Meade into a disadvantageous attack.”
I’ve often thought that Pickett’s charge was a hopeless gesture by a strategist who knew the war was over (as of the time he ordered the charge because the Pennsylvania campaign had failed) absent a miracle. Hoping that a boneheaded tactical move would somehow change that has always seemed like a last gasp hope for that miracle.