What was the purpose of Pickett's Charge?

Question:Why did he charge?
And When?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Why did he charge?
And When?

~The object and purpose, obviously, was to win the battle. Winning the battle may have changed the course of the war, but probably not. Don't forget, Grant was taking Vicksburg at the same time Gettysburg was being contested and Vicksburg was a much more significant Confederate loss.

To win the battle required the Federal Army to be broken and dislodged from defensive positions on Cemetery Ridge. For various reasons, not the least of which were the incompetence and insubordination of Lee's top commanders, assaults on the Federal right and left had failed on July 1 and 2. Of course, the incompetence and insubordination of the highest ranking Federal Generals did all but give the battle back. In any case, Lee figured he try something different on July 3. The assault on July 3 should never have been undertaken, but Lee thought he and his army were invincible. The assault should never have been necessary, but blunder after blunder had allowed the Federals to occupy and fortify the ridge. Why did the assault occur? Because of and to attempt to rectify those blunders.

The new plan for July 3 called for Longstreet to send Picket's Division and six brigades from Hill's Corps against the enemy center. One would think after Fredericksburg that Civil War commanders would have learned that using 18th century tactics against 19th century artillery and rifles was not a good idea. A lot of good men died on both sides before that lesson was learned. Longstreet advised against the charge and predicted failure but was overruled by Lee. Maj Gen George Picket, Brig Gen Johnston Pettigrew and Maj Gen Isaac Trimble (who had been given command of Maj Gen Dorsey Pender's Division after Pender was mortally wounded) led the attack. Pickett's troops were fresh, having arrived too late on the second day to engage. Hill was sick and didn't get to select units from his corps which would be used. Instead of using fresh troops from III Corps, exhausted troops which had seen action on the 1st and 2nd were selected.

The assault should not be called Picket's charge. Picket led only about 1/3 of the force and he was under the direct command of Longstreet. The more accurate name favored by at least some contemporary historians is the "Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Assault."

Pickett's division suffered fewer casualties than did Pettigrew's during the assault, and Pettigrew's Brigade saw action on all three days of the battle, suffering substantial losses each day. Pickett's Virginians, especially Brockenbrough's Brigade (one of the units from Hill's Corps), were outfought by Pettigrew's Carolinians during the assault and were blamed by many southerners for the failure of the attack. Pickett was a prima donna, a whiner and not much of a leader. His division suffered no worse casualties than most and a lot fewer than many on both sides. [The casualty rate for the Army of North Virginia over the three days was about 1/3.] During the assault, Trimble lost his leg and Pettigrew was wounded. All three of Pickett's brigade commanders, and 13 of his regimental officers were killed, wounded or captured. Pickett chose to lead from the rear and didn't get a scratch.

The legend about Pickett harboring any animosity towards Lee over the assault is pure myth and supported by no fact or evidence. It is likely that Pickett was never real pleased with the attack or the outcome, but the statement attributed to him, that "That man destroyed my division." has largely been debunked by legitimate historians for generations as never having been made. When asked later why the assault failed, Pickett said "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it." After the assault, he still had plenty of men in his division, but he was a little short of officers. Pickett's next battlefield command of import was in April,1865 at Five Forks. When Pickett's position fell Lee's line collapsed and Richmond was abandoned. Lee surrendered at Appomattox a few days later. During the Battle of Five Forks, Pickett was 2 miles away at a party.

Why did Pickett and the others charge. It wasn't a "charge", it was an orderly infantry assault. Robert E. Lee was the boss and commanding officer of the Army of Northern Virginia and Lee ordered the assault. Pickett and the others obeyed their orders.

When was it? On July 3, 1863, following a mostly ineffective (because of inept gunners and shoddy weapons) artillery barrage that started at around 1:07 p.m. and continued for almost 2 hours. The artillery exchange at Gettysburg on July 3 was probably the largest artillery battle of the war but, from the CSA side, was of little consequence. Federal guns, on the other hand, mowed the advancing CSA troops down like so much wheat before a scythe. The infantry set off around 3:00 and the 50% or so of the force still able to do it retreated at about 4:00. The rest were dead, dying, wounded or captured.

Lt General Richard Ewell had allowed the Federal Army to occupy Cemetery Ridge on July 1 by not taking it himself when it was available to him. Maybe if Trimble hadn't suggested to Ewell that the site was of vital strategic importance and was available for the taking, virtually without a fight, Ewell's ego wouldn't have gotten in his way and he'd have moved the few hundred yards he needed to move to occupy it. Instead, he told Trimble "When I need advice from a junior officer I generally ask for it." and he did nothing.

Of course, on July 1, Harry Heth had attacked against orders, thereby initiating the battle, then refused A P Hill's offer to reinforce him with MJ Pender's Division. Pender was ordered to wait in reserve, thus allowing the Union forces to organize on Seminary Ridge. When Pender finally was released into the fight by LT Gen A P Hill, Pender forced the Federals from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Ridge, where they could have and should have been sandwiched between Pender and Jubal Early or Robert Rodes' Division. Rodes was in reserve and Early was resting. Ewell continued to hold them back. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Heth was getting wounded and his Division was getting whipped by Buford and by the Iron Brigade. Then Maj Gen John Reynold was killed and the Federal I Corps was without a commander, causing a bit of confusion, followed by the arrival of Pettigrew's Brigade and the Federals were pushed off McPherson Ridge. They too, found their way to Cemetery Ridge eventually.

By not pursuing his advantage on July 2 Ewell failed to take the position when Federal forces were diverted to cover the hole in the line at the Wheat Field and Peach Orchard created when Maj Gen Daniel Sickles disobeyed his orders and advanced III Corps of the Army of the Potomac to an untenable and indefensible position in advance Federal lines. Early's Brigade's were making headway on the union right, but he elected to break off rather than to send in his reserves. Longstreet's force had not fully arrived yet so Longstreet had to delay his attack on Little Round Top and the Union left. Pickett never did arrive on the 2nd in time to join the fight. By the time Longstreet was ready to move, BG Gouverneur K. Warren had taken his ride to Little Round Top, seen that it was unmanned and sent Strong Vincent's Brigade and others to occupy it. This was the prelude to the legendary bayonet charge by Joshua Chamberlain's regiment and the repulsion of the Confederates from the most single strategic location on the entire battlefield.

One the 3rd, Ewell was to coordinate an attack on the Union right when the assault began, creating a diversion and pulling troops from the center. Instead, he attacked at around 8:00 and was pretty much out of the fight by 11:00. Meanwhile, JEB Stuart's cavalry was supposed to guard the Confederate left flank and to exploit any openings in Union lines created by the assault. Instead, they ran into Brig. Gen. David McMurtrie Gregg's division and George A. Custer's brigade and were turned back. After the Confederate retreat, Union Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick ordered a cavalry attack on Longstreet's remaining infantry in the rear. Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth suggested that such an attack was idiotic and suicidal, but Kilpatrick held firm and Farnsworth obeyed his orders. Farnsworth was killed and most of his brigade was wiped out.

Lee retreated from Gettysburg with an exhausted, defeated, demoralized army that was out of artillery ammo, low on other ammunition, supplies and food. He got to the Potomac and found it flooded. He was stuck on the muddy banks of the river with no way to cross and nowhere to go. Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry Halleck first ordered, then pleaded with and all but begged Maj Gen George Meade to take the Army of the Potomac and pursue and engage Lee before he could cross the river, recover and resupply. Had Meade done so, the Army of Northern Virginia would have been destroyed and the war shortened by at least 18 months, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Meade didn't.

Ain't war grand?

Pickett's Charge was a infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.

After Confederate attacks on both Union flanks had failed the day and night before, Lee was determined to strike the Union center on the third day. On the night of July 2, General Meade correctly predicted at a council of war that Lee would try an attack on his lines in the center the following morning.

It was strategic in a way even though it fail.
During the past few days the Confederates Army been hitting the Union by the flanks so the Union strengthen the defense by the two sides.
Robert E Lee orders General Pickett to charge straight toward the center knowing the defense there was weakest.
The problem is he misjudge the distance of the charge and rely too much on his artillery to take out the Union defense.