We are now 162 years removed from the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg...

And one of the battle's most enduring what-ifs continues to intrigue students and casual observers of the battle: what if Ewell had attacked Cemetery Hill on the evening of July 1, 1863?

For context: the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia emerged triumphant north and west of Gettysburg when the First and Eleventh Corps broke and ran to the ridges and hills southeast of town. The most prominent rally point for Union forces was Cemetery Hill. Robert E. Lee famously sent orders to his Second Corps commander, Lt. General Richard S. Ewell, to "take that hill if practicable." Many argue had Ewell determined the task at hand to be practicable, Confederate troops could have pushed the Union forces off the high ground - thus changing the course of the battle and perhaps history.

But was the task at hand truly practicable? Let's examine this question. What many people fail to remember is that two of Ewell's divisions had been HEAVILY engaged north of town. Robert Rodes's division had suffered around 2,000 casualties in the fighting on Oak Hill and Oak Ridge while Jubal Early's division had suffered a further 1,200 casualties on the open plains north of town. Additionally, the brigades of both Rodes and Early were scattered, exhausted, and low on ammunition. Ewell's third and final division, that of Edward Johnson, would not arrive on the field until close to nightfall.

Further still, what many students of the battle fail to remember is the full text of Lee's order to Ewell: "Take that hill if practicable, but avoid a general engagement." No doubt Ewell had trouble reconciling this considering a general engagement had just been fought. However, orders were orders and at the end of the day, Ewell determined that taking Cemetery Hill would not be practicable given the state of his forces and the fact that the commanding general wanted him to do it without bringing on a major confrontation - the latter of which being impossible given the fact that some 10,000 Federals occupied the ground that Lee wanted Ewell to attack.

Ultimately, I feel that Ewell should not be blamed for his decision to not assault Cemetery Hill in the waning hours of July 1, 1863. His decision to not do so made tactical military sense given the state of his corps and the precise wording of his orders from Lee.