Walk Pickett's Charge

[Wild Bill]

Laurie has the key to the failure of Pickett's charge. It was supposed to be a pincer attack but the Union cavalry, especially the Michigan Brigade led by Custer, drove Stuart's attack back at Rummel's Farm (east of the battlefield) and doomed the infantry move. I wrote my master's thesis on this cavalry attack, for what it is worth--not much, I reckon.

BTW, the Union Philadelphia Brigade on the front line near the Angle broke and retreated as the Reb infantry hit the Union lines. Imagine what chaos might have happened if the Union Cavalry had been driven back or was nonexistent in front of Stuart's 4 brigades that were set up to hit the Power's Hill region in the Union rear as Picket arrived at the infantry line.