What General Lee and General Meade did wrong at the battle of Gettysburg - Essay Example

What General Lee Did Wrong at the Battle of Gettysburg General Lee had decided, after analyzing the battlefield, to concentra his forces in an area where he felt was the most vulnerable. However, his major mistake was that he chose incorrectly. While, in theory, Lee had the right idea, it did not work out in fact. Lee thought that he could draw out the North's Army, destroying it and thus being able to march into Washington. After that, he hoped he could negotiate a peace. However, there were a few issues with this plan that Lee did not initially notice.

First, Lee's army had less manpower on the battlefield for the fight at Gettysburg. Second, he was also far into enemy territory, and this resulted in the need for long supply lines. Long supply lines can be quite dangerous, as the other army will usually find a way to destroy them in order to starve the soldiers. Furthermore, he would have to have strong control over this matter and not allow any unit to wander too far from their original destinations. Lee had thus put all of his hopes into the Battle of Gettysburg, although he failed to recognize his false assumption about troop placement.

Furthermore, there was another issue with his battle plan; he should have realized that the center of gravity for the battle did not concentrate on the enemy, but actually the land that the enemy was on. (Swanson). What General Meade did wrong at the Battle of Gettysburg Meade made a fatal error in the Battle of Gettysburg by overlooking the suggestions made by General Butterfield. General Butterfield had suggested that "Slocum had his corps in readiness to move and [he] pointed out the advantage to General Meade that would follow.

" While Butterfield had a good idea, Meade rejected it by not agreeing with him. Pickett's charge failed, and there were men left standing on Seminary Ridge waiting for a Union general to advance. The lines were thin at that time, and had they been attacked, this probably would have resulted in defeat of their army. However, luck would hold out with them in this aspect. Still, Meade had made a decisive error in his strategy, and it became apparent at that time that Butterfield had actually had the right idea when it came to the overall strategy of the battle.

While this would be difficult for Meade to admit, one taking look at the battle and the decisions can certainly come to that conclusion. (Meade's great mistake). Works Cited Meade's great mistake. 19 June 2009. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdfres=9B01EED61E38E033A25757C0A9619C94699FD7CF Swanson, Eric. "Center of Gravity and the Battle of Gettysburg." 19 June 2009. http://www.geocities.com/eric731/The_Eric_Papers/papers/tactics/gettysburg.htm