Harry Trueman quote, "A schoolboy's hindsight is always better than a general's foresight."
Very true
Day 3: Day two was a close thing, Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia was used to winning. Everybody knows how important this battle is to the Confederacy, the Rebs are pumped, ready to get it done.
Lee has two options; break off the action and lose the battle, end of the campaign, or try again to route the Union Army. Again unaware of the Union reinforcements brung in overnight.
Lee plans a full-court press all along the Union line to tie the opposition in place, sends JEB Stuart and 2,000 of his battle hardened cavalry to hit the Union line from the rear. Plans the largest artillery barrage of the war to break the Union center and then send in Pickett’s 12,000 fresh troops.
Lee customarily played his cards close to his vest, told his generals only what they needed to know, plus Lee was reportedly suffering from a bout of dysentery during the battle.
End result was of Lee’s 60,000 effectives still on hand, not counting his artillery only about 14,000 of these make any meaningful contribution on Day 3. Ironically the very volume of that artillery barrage works against them, the thick smoke on that still, humid day obscuring the fact they were shooting high, clear over the Union line. Otherwise thing might yet have turned out differently, the Confederates couldn’t catch a break that whole three days.
Again IIRC
