I've been reading a bit about the Battle of Gettysburg and the attack on the Little Round Top that was famously defended by the 20th Maine. Tell me if you think what I have done below is fair. I'm just having a bit of fun with this.
There is an old English saying as follows:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
If I apply this to what happened on Little round Top, it might read:
"For want of an arm…": Confederate General John Bell Hood, leading a division in Longstreet's corps, was wounded early on July 2, losing the use of his arm to artillery fire.
"…a command was lost.": Hood's injury left his division without direct leadership at a critical moment, passing control to subordinates not fully read in on the original plan.
"…a plan was shattered.": The Confederate attack on the Union left flank lacked coordination due to this leadership disruption and poor communication.
"…the brigades were scattered.": Units like the 15th and 47th Alabama attacked without support, out of alignment with the rest of the division.
"…the assault was piecemeal.": Instead of a concentrated blow, attacks came in staggered waves, allowing Union defenders to repel them one at a time.
"…the flank held.": The 20th Maine, anchoring the Union's extreme left on Little Round Top and fighting without support from other regiments in their brigade, held firm against multiple Confederate assaults, eventually charging downhill to break the final one.
"…the line stood.": Because the flank didn't collapse, the entire Union position on Cemetery Ridge remained intact,
"And all for the want of an arm…": Hood's injury set off the chain. Had he stayed in command, it's conceivable the Confederate left attack could have been better organized and timed, very possibly changing the entire course of the battle and the war.
