re: The Battle of Gettysburg - 157th Anniversary | Day Two - Prologue #1 | July 2, 1863

Yes, this summary emphasizes the importance of two very essential elements of the Art of War - good Intelligence on the whereabouts and intention of the enemy and good Staff Work.

In this case, the absence of both caused Lee to develop and execute a plan that was based on a completely wrong picture of the whereabouts of the enemy Left Flank. A more accurate picture would have impressed upon Lee the necessity of executing a stronger flank assault to take Little Round Top against an entrenched enemy.

Of course, poor staff work reared its ugly head again and caused the assault to be egregiously delayed by many hours.

Staff Work throughout this war on both sides caused these years of fighting on our continent to often resemble a contest between amateur and un-trained armies.