(no subject)
On July 1st, 1863, The Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee and The “Army of the Potomac” Under George G. Meade clashed at the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. What started as a scuffle between dismounted U.S. Cavalry and a group of Confederate soldiers looking for shoes turned into the turning point of the war. The battle ended as a stalemate but Lee retreated first so it’s considered a Union victory. But the battle had a heavy toll on both sides. The Confederates had, out of 76,000 soldiers, 23,000 killed, captured, missing or wounded (about 30%), the Union had 25-28,000 casualties out of a total 92,000 soldiers(about 28%). The Confederate defeat can be blamed on Lee. After being discovered at Gettysburg by Bufford’s cavalry he erred in proceeding to Gettysburg because he did not have enough soldiers to engage the entire “Army of the Potomac”, he did not have the “high ground” and because he lacked proper military intelligence.
In order to be able to achieve a victory in Napoleonic warfare it is imperative to have equal or superior numbers to your enemy’s when fighting on flat ground. Lee’s disadvantage was that he was 16,000 short. Numbers were never in favor of the South, but in this case the odds were overwhelming because here he need to outnumber his enemy 3-1. That’s the rule of thumb to attack an enemy position on higher ground. Without enough soldiers to fight on flat ground, he had even less to fight the Union position. Even if Lee had had every Confederate soldier under his command, he would have never had enough to defeat the Union soldiers using the 3-1 model. Not only did they have inferior numbers, but the 76,000 soldiers were scattered along the trail. It wasn’t until the afternoon of the second day that the full force was ready. Even though the Confederates numerically lost less men that the Union, they lost a higher percentage of their soldiers which meant that the Union outnumbered to a greater degree.
The Southern strategy relied heavily on taking the “good ground” and holding it. When they were discovered by Bufford, the Union had the advantage of choosing the battlefield that suited them best. The Southern strategy, especially Longstreet’s, was more defensive. In this case, the tables had turned, the Union had the defensive position and if the Confederates wanted to win they would have to attack the well-entrenched Union positions or Cemetery Ridge, Culp’s Hill, Little Round Top and Cemetery Hill. This also meant that the Confederates need more men to even be able to have a shot at taking the Union position, 200,000 men to be exact. Unfortunately for the South, they didn’t even have that many soldiers in total. It would have been much better if Lee had moved around Gettysburg and picked a more convenient battlefield.
If there was something that doomed Lee it was Jeb Stuart’s irresponsibility. Jeb Stuart’s cavalry was the eyes of the Confederate army, without the cavalry, Lee was blinded completely. Part of the reason why Picket’s Charge was so unsuccessful was the fact that Lee wasn’t aware of how strong the Union position was and was expecting weaker resistance. Jeb Stuart’s cavalry also did little to lure Union soldiers out of Gettysburg and screen Lee’s movements. The Confederate cavalry was supposed to do exactly what Bufford did. Find the enemy and find good ground for a battle. Also, Stuart’s “joy riding” directed more attention towards Lee’s forces.
Lee could have avoided the disaster that Getysburg became if he had not proceeded into Gettysburg and had moved around. He was completely blinded and was short handed. There was no way to defeat the Union at Gettysburg. General Lee comitted the most costly error in the war. His blunder at Gettysburg cost the South the war. Even before the fighting began, Lee was already doomed to defeat.