Gettysburg: The Peach Orchard: was Sickles right to try to hold the Peach Orchard (without orders to do so)?

It is very easy to look back on an event and say that a decision is bad or good as historians have the benefit of knowing the results (monday morning quarterbacking) a Commander "leader" has to make decisions under very difficult confusing conditions with limited or information. this applies to all the battles you sited. a leader must make the decision he believes is right and live or die by the consequences. he does not have the benefit of 100 years of ysis