GDG- Role of a division commander once an attack is underway.

[Alan D. Brunelle]

I've seen comments on how things /may/ have been different if Hood had 
not been injured very early in Longstreet's Day 2 assault. But I'm 
wondering: how much control could a division commander have during the 
Civil War once his brigades got moving?? As a case for comparative purposes:

o  Kershaw in his OR (plus in later writings) is very clear that his 
instructions were to cross the Emmitsburg Road, then turn north and 
attack in a relatively northerly fashion. [One would expect that his 
fellow brigade commanders would have had similar instructions...] He 
then goes on to explain how he changed plans based upon the different 
scenario he faced - his brigade would now head east, clear out the Stony 
Hill area, then proceed northwards.

o  After the assault got underway, and a lodgment was established on the 
Stony Hill, and then pushed off, and his brigade pushed back near the 
Rose Farm, Barksdale & Wofford cleared out the Peach Orchard area, and 
(most of) Barksdale's brigade proceeded north - thus, perhaps, 
illustrating that Barksdale (at least) was on the same page as Kershaw 
with regards to initial instructions.

o  At this point - once the Stony Hill & Peach Orchard areas were 
cleaned out - one would have expected Kershaw to likewise conform to 
Barksdale, and head north.

o  But - always a but - Wofford's impetus pushes Kershaw's brigade 
eastwards, and Barksdale & Kershaw's directions diverge.

Somewhere in this series of events, wouldn't one expect that McLaw's 
would get involved, and straighten things out - either working with 
Barksdale to head east or working with Wofford & Kershaw (& perhaps 
Semmes) to head northwards? Would this sort of large-scale control be 
possible given Civil War command & control limitations? And if not, why 
do people think that Hood could have been able to do something with his 
spread out brigades?

Regards,
Alan