Pickett Chapultepec, from hero to zero.

But then you had men like Armistead, sticks his hat on the tip of his sword and lead the charge, I guess it all depends on the character of the man, some were better leading from the front whilst others were able to gain a better idea of how things were playing out by sitting at the rear and coordinating the attack.
Right, but I think Armistead being a brigade commander, it makes sense he was with his men. Ditto for the other brigadiers who were part of the charge. Pickett's role as a division commander was more big-picture, so he wouldn't be able to effectively coordinate those brigades if he were right there in the thick of things.

My personal take on Pickett is he was probably more temperamentally fit to be a brigade commander in the charge than the managerial guy running it, though how things turned out there was no fault of his.
 
Right, but I think Armistead being a brigade commander, it makes sense he was with his men. Ditto for the other brigadiers who were part of the charge. Pickett's role as a division commander was more big-picture, so he wouldn't be able to effectively coordinate those brigades if he were right there in the thick of things.

My personal take on Pickett is he was probably more temperamentally fit to be a brigade commander in the charge than the managerial guy running it, though how things turned out there was no fault of his.
Absolutely but why then is there this criticism against Pickett for being at the rear, I agree it was the best place for him to be, the criticism seems to be the fact that he was at the rear and suffered no injuries, I guess that many people hold Pickett accountable for something that really wasn’t his decision to make, and that’s my point, I think history has judged him harshly.
 
Absolutely but why then is there this criticism against Pickett for being at the rear, I agree it was the best place for him to be, the criticism seems to be the fact that he was at the rear and suffered no injuries, I guess that many people hold Pickett accountable for something that really wasn’t his decision to make, and that’s my point, I think history has judged him harshly.
Well, who else could they put the blame on? Lee????? Pickett had criticized Lee, & Ol' Jube had him on his "*-list."
 
Pickett had severe depression after the war, and this seemed to have started sometime after he was wounded during the Seven Days. A number of wounded soldiers had that exact same problem - Ewell, for example, was a devil-may-care soldier before he lost his leg, but became over cautious afterward. He also exhibited a characteristic that was shown during the Pig War - an inability to see the larger picture. The events of Kinston, imho, were directly related to this depression. I would venture to say it is why he died quite early - age 50 - of 'nervous fever'. He had been a soldier all his life - it's what he knew - and to be unsuccessful at it was a devastating outcome. That's why his lady so over-adored him and adorned his memory with way more frills and blue ribbons than merited! Mental problems were looked down on more than drinking problems.
 
As far as Pickett was concerned the enemy were in no rush to attack and his defensive position was complete
But there was nothing to suggest that the fighting was over for the day. The campaign was now in its fourth day and the Union was pressing forward at every opportunity the weather allowed. The small breastworks at Five Forks, not secured on any terrain feature, was hardly enough. Pickett thought he had whupped Sheridan the day before and made a tremendous mistake in letting down his guard. That said, the shad bake has offered a convenient opportunity to shift the blame from who was also responsible--Robert E. Lee. There is a great article on this by Peter Carmichael in the recent Petersburg to Appomattox: The End of the War in Virginia (Amazon).
 
But there was nothing to suggest that the fighting was over for the day. The campaign was now in its fourth day and the Union was pressing forward at every opportunity the weather allowed. The small breastworks at Five Forks, not secured on any terrain feature, was hardly enough. Pickett thought he had whupped Sheridan the day before and made a tremendous mistake in letting down his guard. That said, the shad bake has offered a convenient opportunity to shift the blame from who was also responsible--Robert E. Lee. There is a great article on this by Peter Carmichael in the recent Petersburg to Appomattox: The End of the War in Virginia (Amazon).
Excellent, thanks for link.:thumbsup:
 
Pickett had severe depression after the war, and this seemed to have started sometime after he was wounded during the Seven Days. A number of wounded soldiers had that exact same problem - Ewell, for example, was a devil-may-care soldier before he lost his leg, but became over cautious afterward. He also exhibited a characteristic that was shown during the Pig War - an inability to see the larger picture. The events of Kinston, imho, were directly related to this depression. I would venture to say it is why he died quite early - age 50 - of 'nervous fever'. He had been a soldier all his life - it's what he knew - and to be unsuccessful at it was a devastating outcome. That's why his lady so over-adored him and adorned his memory with way more frills and blue ribbons than merited! Mental problems were looked down on more than drinking problems.
And of course he’d lost his wife Sally and their newborn daughter, and after his marriage to his second wife, the same thing happens again, that’s got to take a toll on a persons sanity.
 
The allegation that Pickett displayed cowardice because he remained "in the rear" during the Gettysburg assault is ludicrous. As division commander, he was properly overseeing command and control in a location where he could view the entire battlefront, while his able subordinates (Armistead, Kemper, Garnett) properly led their respective brigades in front. Pickett's "bravado" under fire was well established in his military career by 1863. And by the way, it was Pickett's regiments alone that gained a toehold, however tenuous, at the angle of the Union line, but were forced to withdraw because of their lack of supporting reinforcements, and the heroic federal response to plug the gap in its front.
 
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