Could you ping the Dixie list?
Its Bush's fault...
The "War of Northern Aggression" is one of my favorite subjects, being a Richmond VA area resident. I have always been fascinated particularly with the battle at Gettysburg, and have just started to dig into it in earnest. This thread couldn't come at a better time. I may not have much to contribute, but I am sure to learn something. Thanks for posting this.
It was still sending 15,000 men across an open field, up a slope, against entrenched infantry, heavily supported by artillery. Not the wisest course of action, it had failed Lee at Malvern Hill and it had failed the Union at Fredericksburg. The Union army was consolidated, it was in a compact position where it could easily reinforce any part of it's line, it had the entire VI corps (the largest in the Army of the Potomac) in reserve. Lee must have known all this, but he carried out his plan anyway. All in all, it was a last ditch effort by Lee, one not very well thought out given his commanders, and not one which was likely to succeed.
At this exact moment, I am more interested in the Battle of Franklin....which was the "Gettysburg of the West".....
Being that I am participating in the 140th Anniv. Reenactment in about two weeks :)
Contrary to the "lost cause" advocates, I fail to see any way that the Rebs could have won after Day 1, regardless of what Hood, Longstreet, or Stuart did or didn't do. I have been to Little Round Top. Contrary to the myth, there were already Union troops up there when Lee "discovered" it. The 20th Maine and the PA regt. were already en route long before Lee's planned attack. The fact that Longie found he would have been exposed through the clearing would not have made any difference: had he gone ahead and attacked 2 hours earlier, he still would have met the same amount of resistance (though his men would be slightly less tired).
Anyway, back to LRT: that's a tough climb. It would be very difficult for any army to climb that under fire and take that hill, especially when the forces were about equal.
On day 3, Lee could have BROKEN the Union lines . . . if he had a reserve already on the way behind Pickett AND if Stuart's cavalry had galloped through immediately. But breaking a line and exploiting it are two different things. Imagine Armstead's units in a pocket, surrounded by the Union forces on each side with enfilade fire, and in front of them by the entire Yankee reserve, and, by that time, Buford's reinforcing cavalry. IMHO, Lee was LUCKY he didn't have a reserve, because the entire army would have been annihilated had his forces actually taken a narrow strip of Cemetary Hill and tried to hold it. The war easily could have been over that day if Lee was "successful."
Bumping for later...
Good luck.
South=0
What's left to know?
Very interesting topic but, it is too closely related to the South, and Lincoln and the Confederacy. I am NOT going there again.
I've stood on the hill and wondered what the heck the South thought they were doing in a frontal assault. The road is very close to the crest of the hill. If they were mostly trying to get past further out in the cornfield, it would make a lot more sense.
Iverson's Brigade/5th NC bump!
Am rereading Killer Angels after buying the trilogy. My interest in the Gettysburg battlefield as limited to after dark parks while in college there. Since maturing,having Maine grandsons and moving here, I gained a new interest because Laurence Chamberlain was introduced. I will read your post to learn more about this contoversal battle. Just this spring I returned to Little Round Top with my 12 yr old grandson.
Had Sickles not moved forward against his orders and formed the salient, and had Langstreets Corps moved up the Emmitsburg road from the south the ANV forces would have had to march south, then march north along the Emittsburg road with the entire Union position on their flank. This enfilading fire would have wreaked as much, if not more damage on Longstreets Corps. It must be remembered that the Texas and Alabama troops came within a hairs breadth of turning the Union flank at Little Round Top, only the tenacity and valor of the 20th Maine prevented this. In all the histories of Gettysburg which I have read nowhere is this movement up the Emmitsburg road mentioned. The intnt was always to turn the Union left flank and additionally, the peach orchard area is almost equidistant from both the round tops and seminary ridge. I have stood on that ground....and it is not good ground. It is exposed and would be difficult to resupply and defend.
That is true with this thread...perhaps someone could post the "day 1, day 2, and day 3" battle maps of Gettysburg to assist?
What are the credentials of the author?