Sickles Venture Forward

[Mosin]

If Sickles had stayed on the Cemetery Ridge line to the base of LRT there would have been no need to re-enforcing the line. His corps would not have been stretched out to thin and could have supported each other. They would have had plenty of time to put up earth/breast works that would have been impenetrable. The men that were pulled from Culp's Hill could have stayed where they were most needed. Vincent Brigade could have been used in some other fasion than to patch up someones mistake. The men of the 1st Minnisota wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves to plug the gap that Sickles left on his rigth. Sickles should have listened to Meade and stayed put!

Mosin

 

[TDMD]

I have always believed that on the morning of July 2nd neither General Hancock or Meade had a complete understanding of the ground before them. Confederate E. P. Alexander commented that the Peach Orchard and surrounding ground was a artilleryman dream. Elevated flat ground perfect for gun placement. If the Northern command had seen the potential that Alexander did they could have positioned artillery and infantry support in a manner that would have been very difficult for Longstreet to push back. Artillery fire from the Peach Orchard area would be much more commanding of the field and more deadly. Re-enforcing Sickles line would have allowed his left flank to be well anchored into the base of LRT and Devils Den. Sickles right with proper support could have tied back into the troops on Cemetery Hill. Longstreet would have had a hard time attacking the left flank or attempting a frontal assault.
The re-enforcing of Sickles line in this manner would have also showed Lee that the Northern troops were strong in the center. I wonder what Lee's battle plan would have been on the 3rd.

If you look at the thread several posts ago, Alexander explains in his memoirs that the original position was superior to the PO. And Sickles line was already collapsing by the time that reinforcements could get to him. Also, what made the PO such a good artillery platform is exactly what made it such a good target from either Seminary Ridge or Cemetry Ridge.

Also adopting the line, army-wide that Sickles did meant that the left most corps' left flank would be where Lee would have loved it - along the Emmittsburg Road ridgeline.

 

[TDMD]

If Sickles had stayed on the Cemetery Ridge line to the base of LRT there would have been no need to re-enforcing the line. His corps would not have been stretched out to thin and could have supported each other. They would have had plenty of time to put up earth/breast works that would have been impenetrable. The men that were pulled from Culp's Hill could have stayed where they were most needed. Vincent Brigade could have been used in some other fasion than to patch up someones mistake. The men of the 1st Minnisota wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves to plug the gap that Sickles left on his rigth. Sickles should have listened to Meade and stayed put!

Mosin

Absotively!!

 

[ole]

However Sickles' new position disrupted Lee's/Longstreet's plans, the sin was in disrupting the Commander's plan for defense.

Meade had plans for defending against an offensive -- backups, supply lines, etc. Good or bad, individual judgement isn't meant to go as far as Sickles took it.

Ewell exercised permitted individual judgement in not attacking those heights south of town. Sickles did not in screwing up his commander's total plan.

 

[TDMD]

However Sickles' new position disrupted Lee's/Longstreet's plans, the sin was in disrupting the Commander's plan for defense.

Meade had plans for defending against an offensive -- backups, supply lines, etc. Good or bad, individual judgement isn't meant to go as far as Sickles took it.

Ewell exercised permitted individual judgement in not attacking those heights south of town. Sickles did not in screwing up his commander's total plan.

Yes, and in the aftermath of the battle and the war, Sickles (and Historicus) continued to lie about Meade's intentions at Gettysburg. Unfortunately for Meade, he was able to have Butterfield lie for him too, by way of the Pipe Creek circular.