I will comment here that what you are suggesting is the "Fog of War". The uncertain situation within the minds of commanders created by the lack of creditable information. This is compounded by a statement of Robert E. Lee that for a soldier to advance to high rank he must "Love" the Army, and while he may be willing to risk the loss of some of his army, he is seldom willing to risk the lost of all of his army.

In too many of our historians mindsets of today they think that two armies fight simple because their enemy is present. A Johnny Reb and a Billy Yank fought simply because one wore Blue and one wore Gray. That is the way a civilian will most often think of why a battle is fought. But That is not the reason a military commander orders an attack. They order attacks because they see the oppertunity to gain a tactical or stratigic advantage over their foe. If there is no advantage to be gained then you do not waste the lives of your soldiers needlessly.