Pendleton is probably best remembered for his postwar attacks (along with Jubal Early) on Longstreet and the fictitious “Dawn Attack” on the second day that Longstreet postponed, lost the battle and the war for the confederacy.
7mm
Thanks for the clarification on Pendleton.
OTOH IIRC Longstreet DID delay the action on Day 2 for around three hours against Lee’s better judgement waiting for his favored (Alabama ??) shock troops to open the attack on the Union left. These men force marching about 25 miles on that hot day up the Chambersburg Pike road that morning before being thrown immediately into battle, with empty canteens.
Had the attack commenced even one hour earlier, General Warren never gets to scout out Little Round Top in the nick of time, Chaimberlaine’s Maine outfit and Strong Vincent’s NY men aren’t there yet to throw in anyway, and the first Minnesota wouldn’t be around in the nick of time to counterattack on Hancock’s order.
Hood’s men break through past the Round Tops and wreak havoc on the big Union artillery park and stores sitting on the other side, also blocking the road against the stream of incoming Union reinforcements.
Maybe the biggest “what if” in a battle full of “what if’s”.
