Could the Confederates have done better at Gettysburg if they had put cavalry in front of, rather than behind, Pickett’s charge?

Did Lee regret Pickett’s charge?

After the fighting, Lee expressed deep regret for ordering the charge. He told a general, “this has all been my fault.” Some saw Pickett weeping over the loss of half of his division. Pickett’s after-battle report was reportedly extremely bitter, and General Lee forced Pickett to destroy it.

Could Pickett’s charge have succeeded?

George Pickett’s infantry charge on July 3, 1863, was the battle’s climax. Had the Confederate Army won, it could have continued its invasion of Union territory. Instead, the charge was repelled with heavy losses. This forced the Confederates to retreat south and end their summer campaign.

Why was Confederate artillery ineffective at Gettysburg?

Confederate fuses on shell and case shot ammunition were notoriously unreliable. It’s commonly accepted among historians that the fuse issue (which wasn’t always a serious problem for Confederate artillery) was one factor in why the pre-Pickett’s Charge bombardment was largely ineffective.

Could Lee have won at Gettysburg?

Early extolled Lee’s genius. In fact, Early claimed, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia would have won the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point in the Civil War, if his orders had been obeyed.

Did Pickett ever forgive Lee?

As soldiers straggled back to the Confederate lines along Seminary Ridge, Lee feared a Union counteroffensive and tried to rally his center, telling returning soldiers and Wilcox that the failure was “all my fault”. Pickett was inconsolable for the rest of the day and never forgave Lee for ordering the charge.

What did Robert E. Lee think of Lincoln’s death?

On the death of President Abraham Lincoln



As a crime it was unexampled and beyond execration. It was a crime that no good man could approve from any conceivable motive.

How close did the Confederates come to winning?

European investors gave the Confederacy approximately a 42 percent chance of victory prior to the battle of Gettysburg/Vicksburg. News of the severity of the two rebel defeats led to a sell-off in Confederate bonds. By the end of 1863, the probability of a Southern victory fell to about 15 percent.”

What is misleading about the Pickett’s charge?

The description of the Confederate attack as “Pickett’s Charge” is misleading on two counts. First, Major General George Pickett was the commander of only one of the three Confederate units that took part in the assault. Major General Isaac R. Trimble and Brigadier General J.

Who took the blame for the failure of Pickett’s charge?

Lee told the men trudging past him “It is my fault,” but in his three official reports on the battle and in the postwar years, he never repeated those words and generally implied the failure was due to others. Many in the South placed the blame on Longstreet, although he had strenuously argued against the plan.



What did Lee say after Pickett’s charge?

Lee told the men trudging past him “It is my fault,” but in his three official reports on the battle and in the postwar years, he never repeated those words and generally implied the failure was due to others. Many in the South placed the blame on Longstreet, although he had strenuously argued against the plan.

What were Lee’s mistakes in Gettysburg?

The trouble was, Lee failed to recognise that by the second day he was the one who was actually outnumbered and in continuing to try and dominate the enemy the way he had on the first day, his forces were getting strung out.

What is misleading about the Pickett’s charge?

The description of the Confederate attack as “Pickett’s Charge” is misleading on two counts. First, Major General George Pickett was the commander of only one of the three Confederate units that took part in the assault. Major General Isaac R. Trimble and Brigadier General J.

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