ALBG Fall 2010 Seminar:
"From the Jaws of Victory?" Command and Control in the Army of Northern
Virginia
September 10-12, 2010
The Association of Licensed Battlefield
Guides, Inc. proudly announces its annual autumn seminar. The weekend
includes special in-depth walking tours with experienced battlefield
guides, Friday night reception, two breakfasts and one lunch, Saturday
night banquet, maps and materials, and more.
Robert
E. Lee’s army entered the Gettysburg Campaign with high hopes and the
expectation of victory. Within three days, that army went from dramatic
success to devastating defeat. Many of the reasons for the Confederate
failure may be found in the decisions made by its senior officers, some
of whom had performed brilliantly in the past; several have been the
subject of controversy for nearly 150 years. This weekend seminar
addresses the conduct of a number of those officers and their soldiers
on July 1-3, 1863, from the same perspective they had – on the
battlefield.
Friday Evening Presentation:
Robert E. Lee: Command & Control
Problems?
With Col. Bill Hewitt
Colonel Hewitt will provide a professional officer’s insight into the
elements of command and control as practiced by Robert E. Lee. He
will examine that command style and its impact on the battle, and
provide a short study on the control systems (intelligence,
communications, orders) of the Army of Northern Virginia and how
command and control provides subordinates with the vision to understand
the commander’s intent and attempt to implement that intent. Lee’s
vision at Gettysburg was driven by both his style and the demands he
faced, including the relative size of his army compared to his
adversary, and his physical location inside enemy country. Those
elements drove his decision to assume the offensive and led to the
evolution of his plans for conducting the battle.
Saturday Battlefield Tours
“I
determined to attack …”
Gen.
Robert
E. Rodes and his Division on July 1.
With Dave Richards, LBG
On
the afternoon of July 1, 1863 Major General Robert E. Rodes, with over
seven thousand soldiers and sixteen guns in tow was presented the
opportunity of a lifetime! By good fortune, he found himself square on
the flank of an unknown Yankee force contesting the advance of A.P.
Hill’s command along the Chambersburg Pike. With luck and skill,
a commanding position to work from and some of the best troops in Lee’s
army, General Rodes could have “ended” the Battle of Gettysburg that
afternoon before it had fairly begun. The ensuing hours can best be
described as a series of wasted opportunities consumed in reckless
attacks at great cost. Dave Richards will lead this examination of a
series of “lost opportunities” for General Rodes and his Division that
may have changed the course of history. (Please note that this
program involves approximately a half-mile of cross-country walking -
Good walking shoes are recommended.)
Ewell and Lee at
High Tide:
A Study in Command and Control
With Charlie Fennell, LBG
A
recent historian of the Battle of Gettysburg said. "In the final
analysis, it was Robert E. Lee's inability to manage his generals that
went to the heart of the failed campaign." Lee's lieutenant that
initially received the bulk of the blame for Confederate defeat at
Gettysburg was Richard S. Ewell. He has been, and continues to be
accused of being hesitant and indecisive. “Oh for only one hour
of Old Jack,” one Confederate lamented. How accurate is this
assessment of Ewell? On our tour we will see that Ewell more
faithfully followed Lee's orders than any other of Lee's principal
subordinates, and that the one time he violated Lee's instructions and
acted decisively on his own authority, his troops won the most
impressive Confederate victory of the Battle of Gettysburg. Join our
own ever-popular Charlie Fennell for this reappraisal of Gettysburg’s
most maligned Confederate.
"The
Generals got into a dispute about
which should command:" Anderson's Division on July 2nd.
With Don Walters, LBG
The fighting along the Emmitsburg Road on July 2 was a violent and
costly affair inflicting heavy losses on the armies of both North and
South. The infantrymen of Gen. Richard H. Anderson’s Division played a
major part in that fighting, having been assigned an important role in
the Confederate attack plan. But exactly what was the overall plan, and
what was expected of Anderson’s Division on that crucial day? Don
Walters is an expert on Richard Anderson and his soldiers, and he will
address these questions. He will also discuss other players in the
drama, generals of various ranks including A. P. Hill and Robert E.
Lee, Billy Mahone, Cadmus Wilcox, and others: A galaxy of stars. Their
directions and orders decided the fates of many brave men. It will be
Don’s pleasure to conduct this detailed walking tour, focusing on a
misunderstood unit and its commander. (Program involves significant
cross-country walking).
Saturday Evening Presentation:
The Lost Cause:
Gettysburg in Confederate Myth and Memory
With Jim Martin, LBG
Jim Martin provides our after-dinner presentation on the development,
growth, and flowering of a uniquely Southern interpretation of the
Civil War and it's effects on the present day understanding of the
Battle of Gettysburg. The talk will focus on the central tenets
of the ‘Lost Cause’ and how those tenets appear in visual form on the
Confederate monuments at Gettysburg.
Sunday Battlefield Tour
"I yield
to no one..." Longstreet on the Second Day
With Tony Nicastro, LBG
“I yield to no one.” So wrote Gen. James
Longstreet in the preface of his memoirs. It has been fashionable to
criticize Longstreet for Robert E. Lee’s loss at Gettysburg and
virtually any other calamity that befell the Army of Northern Virginia.
However, in the final analysis it was Longstreet and his First Corps on
July 2 that not only defeated Meade’s Third Corps, but gained critical
real estate, including the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and
– but for the quick actions of Union officers – might have taken Little
Round Top as well. For Lee’s loss at Gettysburg, one must look
elsewhere. Join Tony Nicastro for this insightful look at the problems
faced by senior commanders. You can be the judge as we follow
Longstreet and his corps into history.
Included:
In addition to the evening presentations and Saturday and Sunday's
schedule of tours, participants will
receive maps, materials, and breakfasts, lunches and a banquet dinner.
Transportation is provided.
To register send a check in the amount of $300 made payable to the
Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides. ALBG Members are
entitled to an additional special discount. Check inside the
member-only area and click the "ALBG Seminar Committee" link for details on that discount. Mail your payment
to:
ALBG Seminar, P.O. Box 4152, Gettysburg, PA
17325
Please include your full name, street address, city, state, zip
code, phone number and an email address. To pay online by credit
card, click the link.
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