What if Confederates control Culps Hill?

[Sgtredleg]

Just one of my "what ifs". I'm playing my Gettysburg game and had an interesting 1st day. This morning Pender's and Pettigrew's divisions made contact with Buford's Cav. and the 11th Corps at the same time. Pender made initial contact and went on the defense. He was hard hit but held. Soon, Pettigrew came up and provided much needed support, still, the 11th Corps with Buford were in commanding positions.
Just in time, Early's division arrived on the Yankee right flank and pressed hard. The combined Rebel force pushed the federals back into and beyond Gettysburg. At that moment, Rode's fresh division arrived.
Pender and Pettigrew went into reserve and the Yankee 5th Corps arrived on Culps Hill while the remainder of 11th Corps with Buford set up a defense on Cemetary Hill.
After a few hours, as evening came on, Johnsons Rebel division arrived and filled out Ewell's 2nd Corps. At that point I took full command of the Confederate forces and launched a powerful, simultaneous assault on Culps Hill with ALL of the 2nd Corps, leaving Pender and Pettigrew in immediate reserve. After intense fighting, the Yankee 5th Corps was in full retreat into the 11th Corps and Bufords lines on Cemetary Ridge.
The day was costly, the Rebels sustained 7500 casualties and the Yanks suffered 8200 casualties.
General Pender is alive, but General Rodes was killed in the evening assault on Culps Hill. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow!

 

[Rebel_Giratina]

Sounds like an interesting what if - keep me updated! What game are you playing?

 

[Tom Elmore]

Night operations were always difficult in practice. In addition, the endurance of men has a limit. They cannot fight all day and then fight again at night without rest. But I do think that if Johnson had been positioned close enough to Culp's Hill on the night of July 1 in order to launch an early morning assault, just ahead of the arrival of the bulk of the Union Twelfth Corps, the outcome might have been very different. Clearly the Union line would have been untenable with Culp's Hill in the firm possession of the Confederates, who then could have closed off the Baltimore Pike. No doubt the Federals would have had to fall back according to Meade's original plan of defense, and then we could be talking about the epic battle of Pipe's Creek on this forum.

 

[OpnCoronet]

Leaving aside all other aspects of this particular 'what if' , conventional military doctrine at the time, was that the Union Line on Cemetery Hill(and thus Cemetery Ridge) cannot be held and so, if Meade is intent on staying at Gettysburg, Culp's Hill must be retaken ASAP(Very early morning counterattack).
So does Meade attack very Early in the morning with the forces that were streaming in all during the night or pull back to his Original Pipe Creek Line?
Just as you made your decision based on what is Now known, rather than what was known that day, so, foreknowledge, would indicated, Meade would have pulled back and the History Books would be about the decisive battle of Pipe Creek.

 

[Jamieva]

What game are you playing?

That is what I like about Ultimate General Gettysburg, if you march units all over the map, those units will fatigue out and be more likely to run once in combat. Adds a lot more realism to these scenarios, or as much as possible.