What was Lee thinking when he ordered Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg?

Question

I have never been able to fully understand why Lee ordered this attack given that he clearly was at such a disadvantage terrain wise. Also, he had a pretty good idea what he was up against troop strength wise on the Federal side. Was he pressed by the poltics of the moment (ie the need for a victory to seal British recognition of the Confederacy), did he suffer some sort of mental incapacity (ie a fatal senior moment), did he succumb to planted or faulty 'intelligence'? What is known about this decsion and what is your opinion?

Answer 1

I've been asking the same question, how could a 'great' tactical and strategic general make such a blunder, especially considering how effective it was at Fredricksburg when the roles were reversed??

The nearest explanation i can come up with include the following:

1. he was over confident in the ability of his Virginia boys to carry the day. Especially the fresh Division that just arrived on the field under Pickett.

2. he felt the federals had been weakened enough by the flank attacks on July 1 & 2, to the extent that the center could be taken.

3. a prolonged artillery bombardment would be enough to silence the yankee batteries, instead most of the confederate shells overshot the ridge.

4. it seems that he was 'putting it into God's hands' was the theme of the battle in his mind....i don't know if that affected his decision making.

5. the last thing would be his recent bout with the 'runs' from the cherries eaten just before the battle. Could that have clouded his decisions? i don't know but there were accounts of this happening.

Lee should've taken Longstreet's advice and swung around the union left, as General Hood pleaded, and took the union artillery park and supply trains from the rear. Where was Stonewall Jackson when he needed him?

Answer 2

Lee was a romantic. A Southern gentleman, he saw the bayonet charge as a sort of glorious testament to Southern honor. Perhaps he thought that a full bayonet charge would be so fearsome to Federal forces that they would flee. After all, all a charge has to do to succeed is reach enemy forces, and then the rest is history. This has been proven by British forces prior to the Civil War, who used the charge to great effect against the French (Seven Years War, Napoleonic Wars), and also the colonial and national Americans (in the Revolution and the War of 1812). No doubt the British observers played a part in his decision as well.

But Lee was not a fool. He knew that modern weapons were slowly eroding the old ways. He ordered a massive artillery strike prior to the charge, and it was the largest artillery bombardment the American continent had ever seen. Perhaps he overestimated his gunner's skill, or the geography of the Army of the Potomac, because the Federal forces were not significantly shaken. Indeed, they dug in more and prepared for what they knew was an assault in the making. Further, they brought in reinforcements from the surrounding areas, like Round Top. When the charge did come, it was cut apart by US artillery and riflemen. And yet, pockets of Confederate troops reached the US forces, where hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Imagine if the US artillery had not been so numerous, or the Union troops less dug in!

Lee was also a gambler, as others said. But he was not a gambler on this particular day. His decisions to take risks usually involved splitting his force and encircling his enemy, but in this case he chose to attack en masse, failing as he did so. What he did was a conscious strategic decision, not a risky throwaway of thousands of his valuable (and hard-to-replace) fighting men.

Answer 3

Lee rolled the dice, He was deprived of his eyes when Jeb Stewart rode around the Federal Army so he did not know the extent of the force he was facing. The second day he was at a stalemate, Pickett was supposed to break it. Rebel Artillery was also a factor, because it failed to hit union forces and they were at the long end of the longistics trail and were running low on shells to attrit the union line. Pickett's division was destroyed by a Union Line that was rested and at full strength.

Answer 4

My opinion is that is was a really bad decision. I don't have any idea how he reached his decision though. General Longstreet wrote quite a bit about his feelings regarding the charge.

Answer 5

some ppl think that stonewall jackson was his shoulder to lean on,w/o jackson there to give his opion and disaprove/aprove lee was lossed