to follow Lee's directives. In addition, Lee had not yet lost a major battle. Second-guessing him was problematic and difficult. Longstreet certainly could not have assumed command of the army. Lee was too well respected; furthermore, Longstreet would have been guilty of insubordination. Taking over the Confederate army was not an option that Longstreet would have considered.

Second, Longstreet urged Lee not to attack on the third day. Lee overruled this advice. There was not enough time or an opportunity for Longstreet to convince other Confederate generals to support his cautious strategy for the third day at Gettysburg.

After the South lost the war, Lee was adored and Longstreet was vilified. Longstreet became a Republican after the war, so Southerners viewed him as a traitor. But the blame for the South's loss at Gettysburg must be attributed to Lee. Lee was overconfident. His army was handicapped by poor reconnaissance. After Gettysburg, Lee accepted blame for the defeat and offered to resign his command. President Jefferson Davis refused, and Lee commanded the Southern army until their final surrender in 1865.

Both of the previous posts are dead on concerning Longstreet's decision to obey Lee's order for Pickett's attack. A refusal to obey would have constituted gross insubordination, and Lee would likely have had to arrest or relieve his "Old War Horse." Longstreet admired Lee too much to have considered trying to undermine him by attempting to convince his division and/or brigade commanders to defy the order. Longstreet was a military man (unlike many of the non-West Point commanders of lower rank), and I'm sure he would have resigned rather than fuel a possible mutiny. He probably would have had little support anyway: Robert E. Lee had already achieved legendary status among his troops (and, for that matter, throughout the continent and most of the world), and the Army of Northern Virginia had been established as the foremost fighting outfit on the planet. Their confidence (or overconfidence) would prove to be misplaced after Gettysburg, but prior to the Pickett's Charge, few of Lee's soldiers believed they could be beaten. George Pickett was ecstatic at the chance to lead the assault, and he apparently did not envision the futility of the attack as his friend Longstreet did. After the war, Pickett was often quoted speaking derogatorily of Lee's decision, but he was eager for his chance at glory and everlasting fame on the day of the attack.

Although Lee's decision on the frontal assault was probably doomed from the start, had Longstreet taken more positive steps to assure a chance of success, the outcome may have been different. The brigades attached from Gen. A. P. Hill's corps had already seen extensive fighting, and they were not the best choices for aiding in the attack. Several of Hill's other brigades had seen little action and were larger and fresher; they would have been better choices to join the charge. Pickett's choice as leader of the attack also has to be questioned, since his division was one of the least experienced groups in Lee's army. Pickett stayed well in the rear of the attack and has been criticized for his lack of front-line supervision (though his position in the rear was not militarily improper and leading from the front would probably have only caused him to be another casualty). Longstreet, always a slow and deliberate planner, apparently delayed the attack in the hope that Lee would change his mind. Lee would later take the entirety of the blame after the failed charge--"It's all my fault," he told his men--but history would also place everlasting blame on both Longstreet and Pickett as well.

I think that the previous post is dead on accurate.  In a military configuration, the chain of command is sacred.  It is absolute.  It has to be respected.  Personal opinions are a distant second to following orders.  In deference to this, Longstreet could not have sought to pursue insurrectionist ends against this chain of authority.  In terms of the secondary point of trying take command from Lee, there are some inherent problems here.  In a military situation and in a wartime situation, it is viewed in horrifically bad character to attempt to engage in a power struggle.  The structure is there and one must operate in it.  The orders given were not illegal, and they were in the bounds of war.  If individuals in a military unit begin to question orders that are given, there is complete disarray and victory will be lost, with more lives becoming casualties.  In this light, Longstreet had no choice but to respect Lee's orders, personal feelings aside.  Perhaps, he could have confided his feelings to Lee in private, with the permission to speak freely, but acting upon these is something that cannot be tolerated in a military and warfighting situation.