Spavined_Gelding:
This is a nit-pick. Heath’s Division was part of A.P. Hill’s Corps, not Longstreet’s. Heath’s was pretty well chewed up on July 1. None the less, Lee chose Heath’s Division under the command of J.J. Pettigrew (Heath was wounded on the First Day) and two brigades from Pender’s equally cut up division (Pender had also been wounded on the First Day) to act as the left half of the assault force on the Third Day.
Longstreet’s Corps had not been engaged on the First Day. Hood’s Division and McLaw’s Division came up on the morning of the Second Day and were heavily engaged on the Peach Orchard – Wheat Field – Devils Den – Little Round Top line. Pickett’s Division had been covering the rear of the army and did not come into the Gettysburg vicinity until late in the afternoon of the Second Day. Longstreet persuaded Lee that both Hood’s and McLaw’s were too worn out to participate in Pickett’s Charge and that they both needed to hold their positions to prevent Meade from launching an attack that might roll up the Rebel line from south to north.
After the war Longstreet never had an empty field in terms of creating the history of the war. His mild criticisms of Lee’s generalship at Gettysburg roused any number of pro-Lee partisans, notably Jubal Early (who hated, in order The United States, Yankees and James Longstreet). Early was an effective advocate and a prolific writer. In addition Longstreet had ruined his credibility with many ex-Confederates by taking a job with the US government. Some have suggested that Longstreet’s biggest sin was that of being right. None the less, Lee relied on him and Longstreet was with Lee at the end at Appomattox Court House. Lee never did speak publicly or do any post war writing about the war.
Richard Ewell is reputed to have said when years later he was asked about Gettysburg, “It took a great number of mistakes to lose the Battle of Gettysburg: I made most of them myself.”
Very true. Heth was part of Hill’s Corps. My mistake.
I’ve heard many scholars say that if Ewell had done his job and taken Culps Hill and Cemetery Hill on Day One, that not much would have changed. Gettysburg would have been known as a rather large skirmish and that the major battle would have happened elsewhere after the Union redeployed to more favorable ground.