GDG- Ewell and the High Ground

[Tom Gilbert]

Coddington states that Ewell's attack had "lost momentum" after its initial success (I guess much like Jackson's assault at Chancellorsville) .. many units were "thoroughly disorganized as a result of fighting their opponents for hours and then driving them through narrow streets and lanes", the men fatigued and thirsty .. that, along with reports of Union forces approaching from his left, and the growing darkness, and I'm sure a lot of confusion and uncertainty especially for a man new to corps command (although there were quite a few on both sides new to their present commands), and probably a lot of other factors I'm missing, all combined to lead Ewell to call it a day and renew efforts in the morning .. tom g
Batrinque at aol.com wrote:  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


In a message dated 3/1/07 5:24:29 AM Pacific Standard Time, toddest at gmail.com 
writes:

> It would seem that Ewell could have taken
> Culp's Hill with a well-planned assault,

But in the circumstances that prevailed, was a "well-planned assault" 
feasible? It seems to me that inevitably a Civil War attacking force became 
disorganized, just by the nature of things (one of which was slow, poor communications 
in that pre-radio age), and that any attack by Ewell at that stage of the 
battle would have had to have been of a somewhat ad hoc character, grabbing 
whatever units came to hand and ordering them forward in an assault without much 
in the way of formal preparation. I am not saying that such an ad hoc attack 
could not have taken Culp's Hill on Day One, but I suspect that a 
"well-prepared assault" couild not be arranged practically.

Bruce Trinque
Amston, CT


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