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The battle that changed the course of history

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SZonian:
Washington, D.C., was in a panic. 72,000 Confederate troops were just 60 miles away near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

After the Confederate victory at the battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee was under a time deadline. Mounting casualties of the war were causing Lincoln’s popularity to fall, so if Lee could get a quick victory at Gettysburg, he could pressure Lincoln to a truce.

But this window of opportunity was fast closing, as Union General Ulysses S. Grant was about to capture Vicksburg on the Mississippi, which would divide the Confederacy and free up thousands of Union troops to fight Lee in the east.

Unfortunately for Lee, his tremendously successful general, “Stonewall” Jackson, had died two months earlier, having been mistakenly shot by his own men. On the Union side, Lincoln replaced Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker with Maj. Gen. George Meade to command the 94,000 men of the Union Army of the Potomac.

The Battle of Gettysburg began July 1, 1863. After two days of intense combat, with ammunition running low, General Robert E. Lee ordered a direct attack. Confederate General James Longstreet disagreed with Lee’s plan, resulting in his delayed advance till after all the Confederate artillery had been spent, leaving no cover fire.

Historians speculate that if General Longstreet had made a timely attack, the Confederates may have won the day.

[excerpted]

http://www.wnd.com/2016/07/the-battle-that-changed-the-course-of-history/

kartographer:
Gettysburg (1993) 20th Maine bayonet charge at Little Round Top


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL-5uyp44WA

Chieftain:
Troops armed with rudimentary rifles with bayonets fixed, marching into the mouths of 3" & 4" cannon firing canister rounds that consisted of a load of 3/4" 1 oz lead musket balls, a very effective shotgun round fired at ground level.  These tactics enabled the slaughter an mutilation of thousands, an event of such violence that has not been seen on American shores since.

The problem now is exactly that...nobody born in America today has ever experienced such brutal warfare on our soil, but many of the immigrants have experienced generations of nothing but brutal all out warfare.  The special snowflakes rampaging across American campuses would change their tune if they did six months of volunteer work in Turkey, any of the 'stans, or anyplace on the Continent of Africa...

 :smokin:

RedHead:

--- Quote from: SZonian on July 03, 2016, 03:15:48 am ---
After two days of intense combat, with ammunition running low, General Robert E. Lee ordered a direct attack. Confederate General James Longstreet disagreed with Lee’s plan, resulting in his delayed advance till after all the Confederate artillery had been spent, leaving no cover fire.

Historians speculate that if General Longstreet had made a timely attack, the Confederates may have won the day.



--- End quote ---

Two things.  One, there was a lot of confusion in assembling the men for the assault.  Neither Longstreet or Lee had ordered Pickett's division up the day before so by the time Pickett got his orders and moved into position the morning was gone.

But it didn't really matter.  Regardless of when the attack happened, the Union position would still have been as strong.  The Confederate bombardment wouldn't have been any more effective.  Southern artillery shells would not have been any less reliable.  And the outcome would not have changed.

r9etb:

--- Quote from: RedHead on July 06, 2016, 06:27:47 pm ---Two things. .... Historians speculate that if General Longstreet had made a timely attack, the Confederates may have won the day.

--- End quote ---

Three things, actually: Pickett's Charge was just one of dozens and dozens of failed frontal assaults on fixed defenses during the Civil War, and they all failed for essentially the same reason: time and space. 

Basically, rifle and cannon range was much greater (and more accurate) in the Civil War than in previous conflicts.  Defenders could get off many more shots in the time it took for the attackers to reach the defenses. 

One wonders how WWI would have played out had the generals of that war learned and heeded the lesson of the Civil War....

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