Culp's Hill exposes the limits of clean battlefield maps

A viewer uses a walk over Culp's Hill to test the familiar argument that Richard Ewell should have attacked when Robert E. Lee suggested it. Ground that looked open and manageable on a map concealed branches, rocks, tall growth, and uneven footing capable of breaking up small units before they reached the slope. Union troops also had strong rock cover, and the assault would have formed in fading light under fire. The broader lesson is that maps are indispensable, but their clean symbols cannot reproduce what movement over the actual ground costs. The moment is a useful warning against judging a battlefield decision without terrain reconnaissance.