Those early West Pointers were all trained in a Napoleanic view....looking for the epic, decisive battle.
Lee had found his, he gambled all, threw all at that center, and he failed. And DESPITE Longstreet’s advice, who history tells us was a defensive genius and knew when someone was charging into death.
And DESPITE Longstreet’s advice,
...ah yes, the famous Longstreet ‘should’ve gone to the right’ kerfuffle...the same Longstreet who marched his troops in circles of the morning of the second day because he had no idea of where he was or where he was going...but he just ‘knew’, with out a doubt, that the right flanking movement was there...
...Lee could have opted for that maneuver, and more likely than not would have run smack dab into the massed Sixth Corps of the Army, who barely saw action at Gettysburg and was willing and able to go...