GDG- If Sickles had stayed put!

[Margaret D. Blough]

Longstreet gave great discretion to his staff who were well informed of his plans so that they could and did give orders on his behalf to adapt to changes on the battlefield. At Chickamauga, at least one general of the AOT resisted such an instruction from, IIRR, Moxley Sorrel, when Longstreet rode up and made it clear in no uncertain terms that any orders from Sorrel were no different than if Longstreet were there and gave the order in person.  The extent of trust that Longstreet placed in Sorrel in this regard is sending Sorrel to direct the flank attack against Hancock at the Wilderness.

Regards,

Margaret

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Chet Diestel" <chetd1 at comcast.net> 

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> 
> 
> 
> Esteemed GDG Member Margaret D. Blough Contributes: 
> 
> In Part: 
> In the days before radio communication, commanding generals used aides 
> to communicate with subordinates. If all Sickles wanted was clarification, 
> then, whatever their rank, whoever Meade sent should have been sufficient. 
> Exactly who was Sickles in the overall scheme of things, that the commanding 
> general must tear himself away from whatever else he was doing in a fluid 
> situation to personally hold Sickles' hand? In any event, according to 
> Pfanz, Sickles had gone over to Meade's HQ and Meade had told him where he 
> wanted him to be, giving him discretion only within those limits. From many 
> accounts, Sickles was fixated on the position he wanted and seemed incapable 
> of comprehending any explanation that conflicted with it. 
> Regards, 
> Margaret 
> 
> Indeed, during the Civil War --- and certainly not starting with it nor 
> ending with it --- a aide was considered speaking with the full authority 
> and power of general he served. Thus, an aide from Meade delivering an order 
> would do so as if it was the general commanding sitting on that horse 
> directly issuing the order to a subordinate and that subordinate was 
> expected to react accordingly. 
> At Gettysburg, that "command" authority was also, at least informally, 
> passed on to both Hunt and Warren who acted in the capacity of de facto 
> roving deputy army commanders with the knowledge that they had Meade's full 
> backing. An example of that would be Warren's declaration that he would 
> take the responsibility for detaching Patrick O'Rourke and his regiment and 
> rushing them up to LTR. He knew he had the authority to commandeer a 
> regiment of infantry and the general commanding would back him up. 
> Meade's use of Hunt and Warren during the battle was a brilliant stroke 
> for it literally gave him "eyes" along the entire line of battle as the 
> three of them moved about the field. Indeed, as opposed to It seems the 
> Meade was constantly on the move throughout the battle so that his knowledge 
> of his troops placement and strengths was decidedly more timely and accurate 
> than Lee's. 
> With regards, 
> Chet 
> 
> 
> 
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