Would Upton's technique have produced better results on day 3?
LCol. Avery Upton was serving under Grant at Spotsylvania when he came up with the idea of an attack in depth, i.e., stacking brigades instead of spreading them out lengthwise. Grant approved the plan, and it was used fairly successfully in allowing the Union to break into the Muleshoe salient. Although it wasn't completely successful and the ANV was able to re-establish its lines, Grant thought so highly of it that he immediately promoted Upton to brigadier. Though it was never completely successful in any large scale attack, it became a fairly standard OP.
Assume that one of Lee's officers had come up with the idea prior to Pickett's charge, and instead of being spread out over a mile, Lee had concentrated his forces over say a half-mile front with his brigades two or three times deeper at the point of impact? In your opinion would it have had a better chance of breaking the Union line? What if this idea had been used on day two at the far end of the Conf. right flank against Sickle, Round Top, etc. instead of or along with the echelon attack?
I so like the idea that I'm trying it against my blue belly opponent in my AWC boardgame Three Days of Gettysburg.