The Gettysburg campaign...

[Chris 62]

Originally posted by jimmytrick Hmm, to get behind the round tops Hood wanted to move to the right, the Confederate right, the Federal left.

This was attempted on day 2, the devil's den and little round top was the federal left/confederate right.

The other side had a better chance, the Union right was "hanging in the air", it had no defensible terrain postion such as round top as an anchor, had Lee Cavalery to scout this, he would have seen Meade's weakness here.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
Meade was yet another cautious Union general. Even if the Confederate forces had managed to take Cemetary Ridge he would have fallen back and re-grouped. Lee would have been faced with a victory that he couldn't really follow up on. If he pursued Meade he would have risked getting his army cut off and possibly having the war end then and there with the obliteration of his army.

The Confederacy was a lost cause from the moment of its conception. Those who ruminate over the "might have beens" for this lost cause are losers too.

Harry Turtledove is ( or is it was? ) nothing more than an aging psychopath suffering from paranoid delusions.

While I agree it was a hopeless cause, I wouldn't go so far in calling the What-Iffers losers...

[Capt Dizle]

The Federal right was achored firmly on Culp's Hill. Troops entrenched there after nightfall of the first day. Meade was very slow to occupy the round tops and that is where most observers including Longstreet and Hood saw an opportunity.

The action on the Federal left on the second day was not a flanking attack.

Turning the left might have been a better choice simply because Chamberlain wasn't there.

[Chris 62]

Not quite, take a look:



Culp's hill is in Slocum's Corps, this flank wasn't so secure, it rested on Rock creek:

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by jimmytrick


I am pretty sure you just called me a loser and in response I want to simply say that I am not Harry Turtledove. Whoever the hell he is.

Turtledove has written a series of alternate history books based on the possibility of a Confederate victory in the Civil War. In the 20th century the North becomes an ally of Germany allowing the Confederacy to save humanity from the Union cause once again. His works are truely a collection of garbage concocted by a sick mind.

[Chris 62]

Originally posted by jimmytrick
The action on the Federal left on the second day was not a flanking attack.

Sorry jimmy, it sure was, Longstreet tried to turn Sickles' flank, and was repulsed at little round top.

Turning the left might have been a better choice simply because Chamberlain wasn't there.

I believe so, but Slocum was a very fine officer, but there was no 20th Maine on the Union right.

[Capt Dizle]

Chris, you got a map showing the positions after the first day?

Or were you talking about going around the left instead of Pickett's charge?

By this point in the battle the Federals had the round tops occupied.

At any rate, unless there was a crossing at the creek a flank set on a hill achored to a creek is a pretty strong position.

[Chris 62]

I should have been more clear, I was referring to day two, and there are good maps here:

http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/batmaps1.htm

But unfortunatly poly won't permit them to be displayed.

[Capt Dizle]

Thanks for the link. I remember that Lee had considered attacking the left on the second day and felt it was not a good choice in part because the troops there had fought the day before and their commanders did not think they could make any headway. Also, that position had been reinforced. I have heard little discussion in the past about a flanking attack on the left.

[SlowwHand]

And it goes back to Stuart out galavanting around instead of doing his job.

[Chris 62]

Terrain on the union right favored attack, the union left was the devil's den and round top.

[Capt Dizle]

Originally posted by Chris 62
Sorry jimmy, it sure was, Longstreet tried to turn Sickles' flank, and was repulsed at little round top.

Yes, you are right in that but I am refering to Hood's and Longstreet's requests to move to the right earlier in the day to occupy big round top and sweep around the flank rather than the more direct attack that was executed. Southern troops actually occupied big round top but not in strength and were pushed off.

This is the famous point of contention, that if Longstreet had been able to move to the right as he wanted that the battle could have been won. This was suggested by Longstreet on the eve of the first day and repeatedly through the second day until the attack was finally launched.

[Capt Dizle]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
And it goes back to Stuart out galavanting around instead of doing his job.

Lee had a loose command structure and is generally faulted for it but it had both advantages and disadvantages. A field commander could not see what his unit commanders could because of terrain and distance. By allowing his commanders to follow their inititive advantages could be pressed quickly while a tighter command structure might only yield lost opportunities.

[SnowFire]

Turtledove has the North allied with Germany?! I never knew that bit... my god man! Being that the "real" Union was far more Northern than the North ever was before its victory, it's a wonder in his world that we weren't with them the real time around when the South was suffering under the Union's heel!

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by SnowFire
Turtledove has the North allied with Germany?! I never knew that bit... my god man! Being that the "real" Union was far more Northern than the North ever was before its victory, it's a wonder in his world that we weren't with them the real time around when the South was suffering under the Union's heel!