hello GDGers
I had a discussion with a friend visiting from NC the other day at G-burg....my friend mentioned Pender's wounding in the early evening of July 2 and wanted to know if that's why Pender's Division failed to attack in support the echelon assault by Longstreet's 2 divisions and Anderson's Division from Hill's Corps.

My thought was that 1)Hill and Anderson both failed in their jobs to coordinate the attack properly with Pender and his successor. 2) Pender's wounding, although serious, should not have completely impacted on whether his division went into the attack..that it was more the problem with Hill's unclear orders and failure to properly supervise the assault, 3) It was starting to get dark by the time the assault had rolled north to the position where Pender's division was located and that might have also mitigated against the assault and 4) Ewell sent a messenger to Pender and found Lane in command. Ewell wanted Pender's division to support his attack on Cemetery Hill. Lane responded that he was supposed to attack if there was a"favorable opportunity." Again it sounds like Hill's instructions were not clear or Lane wasn't clear about what to do. Any opinions on the impact of Pender's wounding?

also is there some confusion about the command of the division after Pender was shot??....James Robertson in his bio on Hill has Trimble being put in command on the evening of 7/2...Pfanz and Coddington have Lane in command on 7/2 .... I am assuming that Robertson is incorrect on this one.

Lane said he received command on July 2 and relinquished command on July 3

Report of Brigadier General James H. Lane, C. S. Army, commanding brigade.

With the exception of the gallantry displayed by our skirmishers, nothing of interest occurred in my command on the 2d. After a portion of the army on our right (I supposed they were some of Anderson's troops) had driven the enemy some distance, General Pender rode from the left of my line to the right of his division. About sunset, I was informed by Captain [William] Norwood, of General Thomas' staff, that General Pender had been wounded and that I must take command of the division, and advance, if I saw a good opportunity for doing so.

Next morning, ... I was ordered by General Hill, through Captain [F. T. ] Hill, to move in person to the right, with the two brigades forming my second line, and to report to General Longstreet as a support to Pettigrew. General Longstreet ordered me to form in rear of the right of Heth's division, commanded by General Pettigrew. Soon after I had executed this order, putting Lowrance on the right, I was relieved of the command of the division by Major-General Trimble, who acted under the same orders that I had received. Heth's division was much larger than Lowrance's brigade and my own, which were its only support, and there was consequently no second line in rear of its left. Now in command of my own brigade, I moved forward to the support of Pettigrew's right.