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Can of worms?
First let me say that I love Longstreet, but I think he was a bit unfair in characterizing Lee in such a way. Longstreet wrote in his memoirs, From Manassas to Appomattox, "That [Lee] was excited and off his balance was evident on the afternoon of the 1st and he labored under that oppression until enough blood was shed to appease him." By the time of this writing, 1896, Longstreet had become a bitter old man and such unfair criticism mar what is otherwise a very wonderful, detailed memoir of his war service.
I don't think it was necessarily haste that Longstreet was upset with at Gettysburg, so much as it was fighting there at all.
"Why could not Lee wait just a day before engaging the Union force before him. He would have lost nothing and gained Pickett and Stuart and have all of his pieces of his army for the battle. He would have had time to recon the union position and form a better battle, instead on planning on the go.
Think if Pickett Div. had been next to Hood's Div., "Little Round Top" would have fallen easily to Pickett's 8000 plus men. He would have been at Meade's back door. Battle Over!!"
Do you mean waited after the 1st? I suppose he could have then waited until July 3 before attacking, after all the army had come up, but would Meade and the Army of the Potomac have remained idle an entire day with the enemy before them?
First, I have found no book that bring up the point that Lee may have been hasty choosing to continue the fight on July 2nd..When Lee woke up on July 2nd the union had a stronger position then he...The routed union army of July 1st was dug in on Cemetery Hill, dug in on Culp's Hill, and had grown and extended down along Cemetery Ridge...
Lee is consumed with the idea of attacking the union on July 2nd without learning getting a complete grasp of the union force before him. He seems to ignore this fact that union position had improve from July 1. He ignores the fact union force is in a stronger position then he. He forgets the fact he is noting fighting in the place of his choosing. He is ignoring some simple keys to his own success by continuing the fight on July 2nd.
WHY is Lee ignoring the facts before him? His blood lust was raging as Longstreet has noted at different points during the war and at Gettysburg. Blood lust is an Adrenalin rush and Lee was high on his own Adrenalin buzz. Longstreet was able to control Lee's blood lust(Adrenalin buzz) at 2nd Bull Run. You should read about Lee behavior at 2nd Bull Run and you could see he was trying the get his Adrenalin fix. Lee was an Adrenalin junkie...
Look at Lee's record during the Mexican American war, you will see a man taking some big risk....He was the main recon man for Gen. Scott and he the senior engineer on Scott's staff. No one has ever question why a more junior officer was not doing what Lee was doing for Gen. Scott...Because Lee was good at it but he needed his adrenalin fixes....
I mention if Lee had waited to renew the attack on July 3rd with Pickett next to Hood think of the difference Little Round top would have turned out...the Union would not have sent anymore force round top then what was there on July 2nd. Lets be honest the union rarely ever protected its flanks well...
Meade and the Army of the Potomac would have stayed idle on July 2nd because they too were consolidating their army too and Meade and his generals were in a defense mind set after July 1st. Giving Lee time to learn more of the situation before him and what the best choice for his army to pursue...
Last note Lee may have taken the blame for Gettysburg because he knew his blood lust had clouded his decisions to made over those three days. If you read through his OR's he also trys to justify why he stayed and fought....all are poor..
Lee the adrenalin junkie....
Some thoughts to ponder... no can of worms
