A Man of Maladies: Reexamining Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill’s Leadership Failures at Gettysburg and Beyond

Abstract

Gettysburg Magazine, no. 55 vided direction to his major subordinates— the two, then three, corps commanders. As others have documented, aft er Lee assumed command in 1862, it took some time for both Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and Lt. Gen. Th omas “Stonewall” Jackson to become accustomed to Lee’s style of broad guidance for action.1 With Jackson having fallen at Chancellorsville in May 1863, Lee faced the urgent challenge of fi nding a new corps commander— a decision that involved not only identifying whom to promote but also sensing how that person would learn and develop under Lee’s guidance. Th is article examines why Hill was chosen for this command and why his performance at Gettysburg may not have lived up to his formidable reputation. Hill was very much out of touch during this decisive battle; his presence— felt so profoundly in previous battles— was lacking in Pennsylvania. A careful manager as a division commander, he allowed his subordinates free rein and so little supervision that Lee himself had to discuss operations with the Th ird Corps division commanders. Finally, Hill’s development and progress as a corps commander, not only from his fi rst action at Gettysburg but also through the rest of the war, was spotty and lacking in vision. Perhaps there is more to the common story that Hill was simply “sick” during those opening days of July. Th is article examines Hill’s maladies and assesses their impact on his ability to command. In fact, Hill suff ered from a longterm series of illnesses that heavily infl uenced his physical and mental abilities to command. From