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To: Tax-chick
I'm not talking about over-generalizations. I was reading his official report. He wanted Longstreet's division to take the Peach Orchard since it was a perfect place for artillery. The artillery could have provided enfilade fire upon Cemetery Ridge and helped Longstreet's goal to roll up the Union Flank towards Cemetary Hill.

Realistically, we'd have to say that the "objective" of the campaign as a whole was simply to win a decisive victory over the Union Army.

Well...duh! LOL! I'm sure that Lee wanted a little more than the Peach Orchard, but battles are one an objective at a time.

The whole Gettysburg battle was improvised, after all, once the leading units made contact without any orders from the commanders.

Well, I disagree with this statement. Lee wasn't near Gettysburg by accident. Gettysburg was a strategic town. The armies may have stumbled into battle...but it didn't take Lee long to establish his plan and his objectives.

36 posted on 09/10/2004 5:47:55 AM PDT by carton253 (All I am and all I have is at the service of my country. General Jackson)
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To: carton253

Official results are written with hindsight, was my point.


37 posted on 09/10/2004 5:49:37 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Dick Cheney is MY dark, macho, paranoid Vice President!)
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To: carton253
The artillery could have provided enfilade fire upon Cemetery Ridge and helped Longstreet's goal to roll up the Union Flank towards Cemetary Hill.

That said, I wonder why he didn't try to organize his artillery to enfilade Cemetery Hill from Ewell's rear areas just east of the town proper? It would have been closer than the Peach Orchard, and he could have done a lot of damage.

Gen. Pender was generally useless as an artillery officer, but Lee had and used E. A. Porter Alexander. But Lee (or Pender) caused Lee's batteries to be positioned all along Seminary Ridge, so that their fire tended to overshoot the Union positions and did no great damage during the big cannonade of the Third Day.

There was no officer to see the overall position and take charge, as Col. Ruggle had done at Shiloh when he cleared out the Hornet's Nest with his big, 62-gun battery.

101 posted on 09/11/2004 7:18:45 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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