GDG- Re: Gettysburg Digest, Vol 29, Issue 18

[Basecat1 at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/16/2006 12:36:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
gettysburg-request at arthes.com writes:

Greetings - sorry if this thread is over, but I'm just getting to  
this stuff. I really don't think Meade had the option to make any 
kind  of effective attack at Gettysburg. Day 1 and Day 2 he is just 
surviving  and he certainly is not going to attack into town or across 
the field that  Pickett would the next day to his misfortune. Besides, 
Meade had the 'high  ground' - why should he come off? As for July 3, 
I don't see any real  ability to launch a successful attack after PPT 
and much reason not to. I  also don't see Grant launching an attack in 
these circumstances. Grant  'may' have moved faster on July 4th or 
5th, but there is little in the  Overland campaign that is similar to 
the relative positions of Lee and  Meade at Gbg. I truly believe that 
Meade did what he could and while in  hindsight we can feel he should 
have pursued harder, I'm not sure he had  that many options.

Best,

Laurie  Schiller




Laurie,
 
Your points are well taken here and I agree with all of them except  one.  
Meade as you know had the better line, but just don't agree with  the part that 
he was surviving, as he had a full corps at the battle that really  was not 
involved in the fighting.  In other words, am in full agreement  about not 
attacking there, but he had more options as to what to do than Lee had  as the 
battle went on.
 
Meade was put into a position that noone on either side faced when placed  in 
command, and he chose wisely.  Sorry, am sounding like the knight from  part 
3 of the Indiana Jones movies.  I often think to the message that  Lincoln 
wrote but did not send to Meade after the battle.  Was Mr. Lincoln  angry at the 
escape of Lee's Army?  Yes.  That said, there was a  reason why it was not 
sent.  
 
Hope all is well.
 
Regards from the Garden State,
 
Steve Basic