People also forget the reason Meade didn't mount an aggressive pursuit of Lee was because he was under political pressure to keep his army between the Army of Northern Virginia and Washington. It's safe to assume that unless his force is routed completely, he'll do the same in the case of a defeat.
Possible scenario's for Confederate victory at Gettysburg? First one I can think of is during Day one. Trimble wanted to sieze Culp's Hill with his division and Ewell overruled him. With a strong position like that in Confederate hands, the Union would almost be compelled to launch an offensive against Lee which could be repelled just as the Confederate attacks were OTL.
Another possible scenario is to disengage from Gettysburg completely. Longstreet advocated this option to Lee after day one, and again after day two. He wanted to march south around the Union's left flank and try to outmarch the Union army. His idea was to get between Meade and Washington, find some good defensive ground, and Meade would have to attack.
If the battle at Gettysburg continues as it did OTL, there still was a good chance the Confederates could win on day two. If the attacks on the union left and right were properlly coordinated and if Chamberlain's stand was somewhat less valiant, the Confederates could've still siezed the heights, though at a rather high cost. With Culp's hill and Little and Big Round Top in Confederate hands, suddenly Hancock and Sedgewick would find themselves in vulnerable positions come the next day.
Fact of the matter is, Meade might have lost the battle, but I don't think he'd allow his entire command to be destroyed. The logistics of the enterprise were just too poor for Lee. Short of siezing a great city like Philadelphia, Harrisburg or Baltimore there's just no way he could sustain his army in enemy country. He'd eventually be compelled to retreat even with a victory.
The political ramifications of the victory would be dire. Meade might even lose his job. That would likely be good news for the South as Meade was a rather competent commander, if rather cautious. Likely successors would be Hancock or Sedgewick I imagine since Grant's not coming east for another nine or so months.
And I do agree with the point on McClellan winning the election. He always struck me as a fellow in love with himself. He'd consider himself the man to do the job Honest Abe, his old nemesis, couldn't. And as much as I hate to say it, he probably would be a competent commander-in-chief, so long as you keep him away from the field.
Possible scenario's for Confederate victory at Gettysburg? First one I can think of is during Day one. Trimble wanted to sieze Culp's Hill with his division and Ewell overruled him. With a strong position like that in Confederate hands, the Union would almost be compelled to launch an offensive against Lee which could be repelled just as the Confederate attacks were OTL.
Another possible scenario is to disengage from Gettysburg completely. Longstreet advocated this option to Lee after day one, and again after day two. He wanted to march south around the Union's left flank and try to outmarch the Union army. His idea was to get between Meade and Washington, find some good defensive ground, and Meade would have to attack.
If the battle at Gettysburg continues as it did OTL, there still was a good chance the Confederates could win on day two. If the attacks on the union left and right were properlly coordinated and if Chamberlain's stand was somewhat less valiant, the Confederates could've still siezed the heights, though at a rather high cost. With Culp's hill and Little and Big Round Top in Confederate hands, suddenly Hancock and Sedgewick would find themselves in vulnerable positions come the next day.
Fact of the matter is, Meade might have lost the battle, but I don't think he'd allow his entire command to be destroyed. The logistics of the enterprise were just too poor for Lee. Short of siezing a great city like Philadelphia, Harrisburg or Baltimore there's just no way he could sustain his army in enemy country. He'd eventually be compelled to retreat even with a victory.
The political ramifications of the victory would be dire. Meade might even lose his job. That would likely be good news for the South as Meade was a rather competent commander, if rather cautious. Likely successors would be Hancock or Sedgewick I imagine since Grant's not coming east for another nine or so months.
And I do agree with the point on McClellan winning the election. He always struck me as a fellow in love with himself. He'd consider himself the man to do the job Honest Abe, his old nemesis, couldn't. And as much as I hate to say it, he probably would be a competent commander-in-chief, so long as you keep him away from the field.