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

[John Baniszewski]

I think Charles DeGaulle summarized it best when he said "No plan survives contact with the enemy."

The original Confederate plan (attack up the Emmitsburg Road) turned out to be unviable bacause Lee was unaware of the presence of the Union Third Corp.  In other words, it was based on inaccurate assumptions.  Longstreet's re-plan (have Hood lead the attack instead of McClaws, but still attack up the Emmitsburg Road),  had to be done quickly, not allowing time to give clear orders to the soldiers actually conducting the attack.  It is no wonder Hood's division separated into multiple pieces.  As for McClaws, he had to react to the events of the real world, and it is questionable if the original plan even made sense.  Also, his boss Longstreet personally took charge of Wofford's brigade and led it eastward through the gap created by the 3rd Corp collapse, capitalizing upon a real opportunity to make a breakthrough.

When the original plan goes to hell, good leaders react and make new plans based on the reality of what they face, not on the original assumptions they made.  All in all, I think Longstreet, Hood, and McClaws did a good job in reacting to change and adapting to the real situation.  I don't see how they could have done much better.  What defeated them was george Meade's ability to respond to the reality of events on the ground, and using his reserves effectively.  AP Hill's failure to follow up on Longstreet's success was also a factor in the ANV's lack of a breakthrough on July 2.

John Baniszewski


John Baniszewski