Darden Leadership Ride Elective Course: Spring 2013, Class 4

Darden Leadership Ride - Chancellorsville and Gettysburg: Leadership Lessons From the Battlefields of the Civil War. University of Virginia Civil War historian Gary Gallagher leads a classroom session that offers lessons on strategy, communication and leadership inspired by two key battles of the Civil War.

[@cmm30]

What a wonderful professor. He really involves his class and they are so responsive. So good.

[@matthewsilver3359]

Thank you, Professor Gallagher. I would add that in the discussion about flags, there was an added sentiment because families from home (esp. wives and mothers) would construct the flag often using personal items like wedding dresses. That may have been an added reason for why the soldiers would care about the flag and sacrifice a lot to protect it. Not sure if the regimental flag would be as significant as the company flag.

[@stephenyoung8069]

These videos are incredible. I wish he taught where I live.

[@stephenyoung8069]

And thank you for telling the realities of muskets and rifles. Most historians make it clear they have no clue what their actual effective ranges are. The football field analogy was perfect. Fort Niagra has a Marine Designated Marksman fire a smooth bore musket and he couldn't hit a man reliablly further than 50 yards.

[@adambrown798]

Gary Gallagher and Shelby Foote, to me, are the civil war buff’s dream team, Dr. Gallagher the Scholar, and Mr. Foote the story teller.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Thank you Gary for the simple concise answer about artillery fuses. I've wondered about that for a while now. Britain, France and Germany dumped their muskets on the US because they were starting to use breech loaders in their armies. The US could have produced breech loaders and repeaters (Sharps) for its soldiers, but they were afraid ammo would be wasted. Cheap bastards preferred dead soldiers to producing more ammo.

[@delsandberg]

Gallagher is a model teacher!

[@zettle2345]

I could listen to Professor Gallagher all day! But IF we're talking IF's, and Hood would have went around Round Top... First, he would have met the Cavalry, that was back there. Second, the 5th Corps was already at Gettysburg in a support role. And instead of backing Sickle, they would have been directed to stop Hood. Third, the 6th Corps was marching up Baltimore Pk. at that very moment, and would have hit Hood and Longstreet in their unprotected backside, as they were pushing the 5th Corps North. Now, since we are talking IF's, I can't say anymore, either way. But I wanted to mention those possibilities.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

If Hood had circled the Round Tops, he would've been unsupported and probably out of contact with the rest of the army. IMO that division would've been slaughtered for the reasons you listed. One thing I don't understand in the actual attack is why those two AL brigades went to the top of BRT.

[@Fix_Bayonets]

26:30 Lee commanded the Marines during the 1859 John Brown raid.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

"Any last thing you want to bring up?" Yes. Why or how did Mahone escape any consequences for his failure to act on the afternoon of the second day? His brigade was supposed to be the next "domino" in the echelon attack, and he refused to move despite a messenger from Taylor telling him to move. In several books I've read I've never found an answer to this question.

[@mcfail3450]

I feel like Gary, though I love him, is being a bit of a Lee lover here and goes pretty far out on a limb to say that Lee isn't to blame because his subordinates should have known all these vague orders were actually specific and that even though they were given direct orders they could disobey them. For example, I think what Gary doesn't really mention is Longstreet and Lee had a long argument over the move to the right. They argued it all morning and Lee even gave some orders that specifically prevented it like putting some of McClaws men under Lee's/Hill's command instead of Longstreet which means Longstreet couldn't move to the right without splitting up his command. So Longstreet is put into a position where he doesn't agree with the plan, his hands are tied in terms of the orders, Lee's staff officers are in charge of the route to get into position which causes a delay because they fucked it up, and to top it all off Sickles had moved up and the union had occupied the round tops. Longstreet had 2 choices: resign his command and probably be criticized for abandoning his post or follow the orders and hope for the best and still get criticized. The blame belongs to Lee for not adapting his leadership style to the change in the situation and subordinates. Lee also approved Stuart's plan to ride around the army. Lee had an entire cav corps of his own to use to scout but he didn't use them. If Lee wasn't aware of the enemy movements it's because he failed to use his forces appropriately.

[@elizabethelliott8725]

I love Prof Gallagher as a great historian and teacher but his love of Lee is a bit hard to take.

[@mcfail3450]

Longstreet did have the column formed and on the road by 11am. Col. Long, Lee, Longstreet, and all the accounts agree on that. Specifically shown when in all their accounts at 11am Lee comes and finds Longstreet at the middle of a COLUMN on the march. This is after Lee went to speak with Ewell about the plan and returned. Longstreet seems to say the plan was formed but not official until Lee returned with word that Ewell was agreeable. This is because Ewell was part of the plan and the 2 attacks were supposed to be coordinated. The people to blame on the 2nd day are Lee's staff. Lee himself said so. Basically Lee had a reletively small staff of somewhat inexperienced officers who attempted to run the battle as a committee without Lee present because Lee wasn't feeling fell and would be in his tent. So Lee's staff officer did a poor recon. Lee's staff led the route of longstreets march and caused the delay because they didn't properly recon the route. Lee's staff didn't see Sickles move forward. Lee's staff after the war all throw Longstreet under the bus but it was all their doing and mismanagement. You can even blame them for the vague orders Lee gives and not conveying to the receiver of the message the real intention or importance.

[@sargji]

I am want to ponder; did Longstreet not force his decision on Hood by dragging his feet in reaching their launch point, that they no longer had time to proceed further?

[@ghostzeke14]

It wasn't Longstreet's fault, this teacher doesn't give the students all the info. The recon on the morning of the 2nd day is widely distputed of what Johnston saw or where he got to.

[@unknowable2432]

Wrong. Listen again. He said Longstreet's error, was claiming to Hood that Lee's orders could not be modified.

[@Fix_Bayonets]

11:00 the Confederates also took the tooling from Harper's Ferry.

[@jboyer1028]

What was the reading list for this class?

[@cathyl2338]

I’d like to know too. From listening, they read the killer angels and it sounds like a collection of essays. Not sure specifically regarding the essays.

[@reddeserted13]

Drop that rod before you drop that hammer 😂

[@Guitcad1]

It's really baffling to me how these people just don't *_get it_* with regard to Lee and Longstreet.

[@jeffreyriley8742]

Lee should definitely have been less aggressive after the first day. He was in the North to kill morale, not strike a death blow that couldn't be struck anyway yet he tried to do just that. He should have behaved like a virus, getting in deep in Pennsylvania and causing as much long term trouble as possible. Hindsight, of course.

[@mikedesil23]

Jeffrey Riley if he did that he wouldn't have been Lee. he would've been... some other guy. I don't think a characteristic change like that is reasonable. But I don't completely disagree with your theory.

[@nora22000]

Jeffrey Riley Pennsylvania militia were no slouches. Lee would have been routed out of Pennsylvania if he had tried to stick around there too long.

[@crippledcrow2384]

Taught like they're in an elementary school