RebelYank87
Cadet
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2014
Something that has always fascinated me about the Battle of Gettysburg, and something that was never adequately answered in the post-battle reports or the post-war years, is the nature of Heth's foray to Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863.
Pettigrew had been there the previous evening and had reported to Heth that there were men from the Army of the Potomac within the city proper. Heth and Hill did not believe him and yet Hill approved a reconnaissance in force for the morning of July 1 with 15,000 men and almost the entirety of the Third Corps's artillery. Why send that many men and that many cannon to a town that you believe to be occupied by militia? If you're committing more than half of an army corps to a reconnoiter you are expecting a fight. And if you're Hill on the morning of July 1, and you're expecting a fight, you are going against Lee's order of June 29 to avoid an engagement with the Army of the Potomac until their own army was concentrated.
People forget that Heth went to Gettysburg with Dorsey Pender's division of 7,500 right behind him in a supporting role. Why send so many troops and artillery to Gettysburg if you believe only militia holds the town and you've been ordered not to draw yourself into a fight?
Pettigrew had been there the previous evening and had reported to Heth that there were men from the Army of the Potomac within the city proper. Heth and Hill did not believe him and yet Hill approved a reconnaissance in force for the morning of July 1 with 15,000 men and almost the entirety of the Third Corps's artillery. Why send that many men and that many cannon to a town that you believe to be occupied by militia? If you're committing more than half of an army corps to a reconnoiter you are expecting a fight. And if you're Hill on the morning of July 1, and you're expecting a fight, you are going against Lee's order of June 29 to avoid an engagement with the Army of the Potomac until their own army was concentrated.
People forget that Heth went to Gettysburg with Dorsey Pender's division of 7,500 right behind him in a supporting role. Why send so many troops and artillery to Gettysburg if you believe only militia holds the town and you've been ordered not to draw yourself into a fight?