I'm sure many of you are wondering if Cadetstuff has fallen into a time warp and gone back to the 1860's? In one of life's ironic twists I had just returned from a camping vacation in Pennsylvania the week before Matt's article came across our desk. Matt and I both thought it would be interesting to do a follow up from all the great stuff I learned on my spring vacation. (before I forgot it... CRS can strike at any time). So here we have a followup article that is also about leadership at Gettysburg but from the winning (Union) side of Pickett's charge.

You already know most of the back ground behind the battles leading up to Gettysburg so I get to skip that part. If you haven't read Leading the Way Part XVIII - Who Lost Gettysburg then go here right now.

To refresh your memory most of the fighting that had occurred up to this time had been south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Lee hoped if he took the war into the North the citizens would grow tired of losing its men and resources and push the politicians to negotiate an end to the war. (and they say history often repeats itself.but I digress.). As the Commander in Chief, Lincoln grappled with finding the right General to head his armies. Many of the leaders of the pre-Civil War US Army were southerners and when the South seceded from the Union they resigned their commissions and took up arms defending their homelands. The most famous of these was Robert E. Lee. Lincoln offered the command of the Northern Army to him before he resigned but he declined the command and headed South. Others included J.E.B. Stuart and "Stonewall" Jackson. Prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, Maj General Joseph Hooker, pictured here, (yes that is where the name came from but that's another article maybe someday in the future) was the Commander of the Federal Army of the Potomac. Lincoln had grown tired of his tentativeness in battle so following a dispute over how to uses forces at Harpers Ferry he grasped his opportunity and accepted the resignation offered by Hooker. Lincoln named Major General George G. Meade (of the famous Ft. George G Meade. "Spys 'R" Us" NSA HQ) as the leader of the Northern forces. As a leader Lincoln knew it is often better to allow subordinates to resign rather then to have to fire them. This allows the person to save face, it helps preserve the moral of the followers, and you get the result that you want.

Lincoln expressed his desire (in the leadership world we could call this an order or at a minimum the commander's intent) that Meade aggressively pursue, engage, and defeat the enemy. Of course all of us modern day "arm chair generals" would assume that any Army commander would always be aggressive. Lincoln struggled for most of the war searching for the right man for the job, but we are getting ahead of out story. As a leader, Lincoln had a vision for what he felt was necessary in order to preserve the United States. He did not hesitate to make changes when they needed to be made.

Since most of the details about the three day battle are covered in the previous article, lets jump over to pick apart some of the problems that came close to losing the battle for the Union Army. Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles was the commander of III Corps. He had been assigned to hold the high ground on the battlefield, Little Round Top. Sickles was a politician prior to the war that helped organize a state militia and got himself named as a General. He did not have a military background or training and often seemed more interested in making a name for himself to benefit his political future then in following orders. On the second day of the battle he moved III Corps from the high ground of Little Round Top down onto the fields west of it in order to engage the enemy. Longstreet, the confederate commander, was attempting to flank Little Round Top. If he had been successful his troops would have held the left flank and the rear of Sickles command. From a leadership perspective, Sickles either disobeyed his orders to further his own personal glory or his lack of knowledge put his entire command along with the rest of the Union Army at risk. Leaders must be competent and proficient in their roles. They must put service before self and follow orders.

Fortunately, Meade was smart enough he know he had some "issues" in his command and he had dispatched Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren, the chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac, to inspect what should have been a fortified postion at Little Round Top. Imagine Warren's surprise when he arrived and discovered no Union troops were there. Looking down on the exposed field in front he could see III Corp taking up a position that was being flanked by Longstreet. Warren quickly ordered staff officers to scrounge up any available units to hold Little Round Top. From a leadership view, Meade used his staff wisely to ensure his orders were being followed. Warren, realizing the danger, took the initiative to rush men and artillery to protect the III Corps. Ironically due to Warren's actions III Corp held the ground against Longstreet's troops. Sickles was wounded during the battle, losing his leg. Following the war and his return to politics Sickles was often quoted as saying that the loss of his leg was well worth the number of votes it got him.

Despite the defeat of the Confederate forces at Gettysburg Lincoln was upset that Meade did not pursue the weakened Confederate forces as they retreated south to Virginia. Meade's excuse was that his forces needed time to recover from the three day battle so he allowed the Southern forces to return home. This error ultimately cost Meade the command of the Union Forces. While the Battle of Gettysburg was going on in the East another Union general named Grant was making a name for himself defeating a Confederate army out west at Vicksburg, splitting the Confederacy in half. In Grant, Lincoln found the Commander who followed his orders and understand the commander-in-chiefs intent.

References:
1) Wikipedia. The Battle of Gettysburg