It's interesting that you say The Round Tops controlled the battlefield. This is simply not true. Lee and Meade both new this. Big Round Top was fully wooded and impassable to either Federal or Confederate artillery or supply wagons. Little Round Top couldn't hold enough artillery to play much of a role against the Confederates. Little Round Top was an anchor. Federal artillery on the left (what was left of it after Barksdale was done capturing it) was located in the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard.

I reenact as well Doyle and I understand moving troops on the field. ( Have you ever moved a limbered 4 gun battery on the field with out horses? I have.) You say ISAAC Trimble should have reconoiterred Culp's Hill himself. According to Trimble, he did. Lee's orders were to continue to press the enemy and Ewell ignored them.

The action on Culp's Hill was THE deciding factor for the Federals at Gettysburg. When Meade realized Ewell was straddling the Baltimore Pike (his main supply line) in the wee hours of 3 July he immeadiately ordered an all out artillery attack. This basically wore Ewell's troops down early and made them ineffective before Pickett's Charge.

Keith