What did Lee lack in his march into PA

[whitworth]

Lee lacked many things, including enough shoes for his soldiers, enough horseshoes for the horses and mules, and enough artillery ammunition to fight more than three days.

One thing prevented Lee's army from crossing the Susquehanna River. General Early, once the bridge was burned at Columbia-Wrightsville, had no pontoon boats. And the water in the river was too high to ford.

[manofdreds]

Seemed like a typical day in the CSA. But if you read Coddington's Gettysburg, Lee's army did pretty good with their foraging parties particularly with the time they had. Ate pretty good, especially the II Corps which was the vanguard of the army.

[gary]

Newer clothing (hey, who couldn't use newer lice-free clothes?) and a clear idea of the AoP's location & movement. According to Charles Marshall, his aide-de-camp who accompanied Lee on the Gettysburg Campaign, inadequate screening by the cavalry is to blame. The shoe thing is overrated (thank you Heth) and Gettysburg didn't have a warehouse full of them and not more than the avg # of cobblers either.

[samgrant]

What did Lee lack

A cohesive plan, and once engaged, specific orders.

[richard]

Samgrant, you hit the nail right on it head. For some reason, Lee had forgotten most of his training in the old army. Lee was an engineer and yet used very little of his training in actual practice in the ANV. He never did use Stewart to his advantage there. He was out doing his own thing and was of no help what so ever.

Why he did not listen to Longstreet on a flanking movment around the Round tops will never be known. Even Montgromery was mistified as to why he did not do it.

Isn't hind site wonderful? There are so many things that the Union and the Confederate armys did that we just can't understand why. I guess one would have had to have been there.

[larry_cockerham]

As per the book about the same topic, a couple of AK 47s would have been a big help. I suspect Lee was tired and wanted the war to end. Sending his men across that open field did much to gain that objective.

[ewc]

These Rebel troops were pretty much used to lacking material goods and a whole lot to eat. An earlier poster (manofdreds i believe) pointed out that the army did a good job making up for this while visiting the dear old Keystone Stone, truly a land awash in plenty. However, having little was not a serious lack affecting the Confederates at this time of the War, although it truly was one reason why the Rebels were paying their respects to Pennsylvania.

The most serious lack was the eyes and ears of the cavalry. Stuart's absence seriously unto fatally derailed Lee. As per Stephen Sears, Lee never seemed to be able to get over this dereliction, and he made virtually no effort to use the cavalry brigades at hand.

Most tellingly though, was Lee's very uncharacteristic lack of clearheadedness and vision. At this most serious juncture, he is performing at his worst. I have heard it postulated that Lee was suffering from ill health at this time, possibly the angina which would lead to his death a scant seven years later.

As it hasn't been mentioned yet, I would point out another great Confederate lacking in the Gettysburg Campaign, and that would be Stonewall Jackson. Although Lee had reorganized the army to handle the more easily and presumably more efficiently after Jackson's death, he still managed the army and expected it to perform as if Jackson was there. Perhaps due to his illness, he seemed to rely heavily on his commanders. Put out by Stuart's absence, that left chiefly Longstreet, who, once the fighting started, began to disagreeably question orders. As well, AP Hill became strangely quiet, and Ewell, though performing well in his new job as corps commander, seemed to require more attention than Lee was comfortable providing. Certainly Lee seemed to founder without Jackson's single minded obedience, devotion, force of will, and execution. Leaning on Longstreet and Stuart, the one inexplicably wasn't there to help (as he should have been) and the other he unleaned on when perhaps he should have looked for assistance all the more.

I'm not saying Jackson would have won the day for the Confederates at Gettysburg, only that his first battle without Jackson is the one and perhaps only that Lee so obviously mismanages.

[richard]

I do think that what you have stated is so very true. One thing does bother me to some degree and that is I think that Lee relied too much on "devine providence" in many of his battles. Grant on the other hand, used brute force.

I feel strongly that Lee did not use a lot of what he had to his best advantage in many of his battles. He relied too much on his commanders to intrepert his orders as he himself would carry them out. Many time they were not followed the way he invisioned that they should be.

I guess we shall never know, we were not there. Hind site is always 20/20.

[johan_steele]

I've been glancing at period maps in an old atlas that show particular detail in the Gettysburg area and again in the Antietem area... is it just me or did Lee miss some pretty obvious terrain features that might have benefited him and the ANV better?

It seems he should have noted the natural defensive strengthes of the Union line; especially the Union left flank on day 2... it is almost as if his attack only would have a chance if Sickles moved forward to his position. Has anyone else ever noted this? An interesting mystery or just the ramblings of my back pain induced mind?

[richard]

John, I think that you are correct. Even Gen. Montgomery on a visit to the states could not help but think that Lee missed so many things in this battle. He wondered why he did not go around the round tops for one thing.