The Confederate general largely blamed for the failure of Pickett’s Charge was Longstreet.

Lieutenant General James Longstreet, one of General Robert E. Lee's most trusted commanders, expressed doubts about the assault on July 3, 1863. He recommended a flanking maneuver rather than a direct attack on the Union center. Following the charge, which led to significant Confederate casualties and a failure to breach Union lines, many historians and contemporaries cited Longstreet's reluctance and his emphasis on caution as contributing factors to the disastrous result.