Civil War Message Board - Msg: 18516152

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Pastimes : Civil War

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To: Kenneth Kirk who wrote (145)	1/30/2003 10:09:29 PM
From: KonKilo	of 341

Is the conventional wisdom wrong? Lee's engaging the enemy at Gettysburg was largely accidental. A cavalry patrol with orders not to engage got in over its head when developing a stronger than expected Union picket line, infantry was sent in to reinforce them and soon a battle neither side particularly wanted then or there was joined. The South's primary tactical error was its failure to identify the importance of Little Round Top in time to seize its crucial high ground. Much has been said and written about Lee's disastrous frontal assault on the third day, glamorized as Pickett's Charge, saying that Lee should never have risked such an exposed attack upon fortifications. However Edward Porter Alexander, Lee's Chief of Artillery defended the plan and blamed the execution. Pickett's division was to lead the charge and be supported closely by Wilcox' and Anderson's divisions. Pickett's men actually broke through the Union lines at the Angle, but for reasons unclear, (Alexander blames verbal orders, rather than the more easily understood written commands) the two supporting divisions' assault was launched too late to exploit the breach. Lee, magnanimous as always, accepted the blame.

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