In late June 1863 after a decisive major victory over the Union Soldiers at Chancellorsville, a Confederate General by the name of Robert E. Lee advanced his Army of Northern Virginia directly into Pennsylvania on his way to take Washington. What he didn’t know, during this same time President Abraham Lincoln appointed Major General George Gordon Meade to assume command of Army of the Potomac. This Army has some of the fieriest fighters and respected leaders in all of the Union forces, they will defend themselves and their way of life until the very last man has fallen in battle. One of those fearless leaders is a brilliant 39 year old battlefield tested man that goes by the name of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, who now commands …show more content…
the Union Army’s 2nd Corps and has plans to stop General Lee and the Confederate Army by any means possible. Day One On July 1st General George Meade learns the Union and Confederate armies are engaged in a skirmish at Gettysburg.
A messenger alerts Meade of the terrible news, General John Reynolds, one of his top Union officers and the commander of the 2nd Corps is now dead on the battlefield. Meade immediately sends word to Major General Winfield S. Hancock, a highly decorated and respected Union officer; head to Gettysburg and assume command of the 1st, 3rd and the 11th Corps. General Hancock arrives to find General Howard, commander of the 11th Corps, who is also the man in charge on the scene, and explains that General Meade had sent him to take command of the 3rd Corps. Howard promptly replied to Hancock informing him who was the senior officer and the one in charge. General Hancock said, "I am aware of that General, but I have written orders in my pocket from General Meade which I will show you if you wish to see them" (Tagg, 2003). General Howard said, "No, I do not doubt your word General Hancock, but you can give no orders here while I am here" (Tagg, 2003). At this time no one really knows if the two had seen eye to eye on this matter or who actually cowered down to the other. He goes on to explain that General Meade has also chosen him (Hancock) to select a suitable field to fight a battle in the rear of Pipe Creek. Hancock sat atop his steed, positioning himself to have the best vantage point possible, gazed across the landscape with his binoculars, then decides the best strategic course of action would be to fight from Culp’s Hill to Round Top Hill, about a 6 mile stretch of
land. Hancock dispatches troops to secure Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top then sends word to Meade stating this is the place to fight. General Meade calls for a secret meeting later that night with his Field Commanders to discuss battle plans. Meade asks if this will be a good place for a fight, Hancock assures him this is a very good place for a fight. Mead turns to him and says “that’s good because it’s too late to turn back now” (Pfantz, 1993). Meade, at this point, having no idea what the battlefield even looks like, takes the word of a junior officer on what will become one of the bloodiest battles in American History. Day Two On July 2nd Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles fails to follow orders from higher command and gets his line decimated near the Peach Orchard and becomes wounded in the process. Meade orders Hancock to assume command of the 3rd Corps from Sickles and do what it takes to repair the Union lines of defense. Hancock arrives to find the line broken, the troops in disarray and in a state of confusion. He promptly ordered roughly 280 men from the 1st Minnesota to make a full frontal assault. Their mission is to close the broken gap and push the advancing Confederate Soldiers back and hold them at bay, long enough for the reinforcements to arrive and reinforce the Union line. Basically this is a suicide mission, and in the next fifteen minutes or so, the brave men from Minnesota would lose roughly 80% of their regiment, the tactic works, and the Union line is once again intact. Later that night General Meade holds a secret meeting with all the Corps Commanders, at the Leister House. That evening they are to decide the fate of the Union Army assembled at Gettysburg. The question is, do they stay here and fight or move to a different location. Hancock is the only one, of all commanders present, that urges Meade, and eventually persuades him, to stay and fight the Confederate Army. Day Three On July 3rd the Union line is set from Culp’s Hill to Little Round top, approximately six miles of wheat fields, with General Hancock and his men of the 2nd Corps holding the center portion of the line. While the Confederate cannons are sounding off in the background and sending lead flying towards the center of the Union lines, Hancock rallies the moral and respect of his troops by riding his steed into battle during General Pickett’s Charge. As he rode his horse along the battle lines a Union Soldier who feared for the Commander’s safety, asked him to take cover in the rear. Hancock replies with “There are many times when a Corps Commanders life does not count” (Jordan, 1988). During the retaliation of Pickett’s advancement, a bullet goes through Hancock’s saddle horn and strikes him in the upper thigh area, severely wounding him. Officers from the 12th and 13th Vermont help the wounded Hancock from his horse to the ground and attend to his injury. Lying in the grass, bleeding from his leg, an officer digs his forefinger into Hancock’s wound, and with a sweeping motion removes a bent iron nail and pieces of wood from the saddle horn that the bullet had passed through, after several tries, they don’t find the bullet. Lucky for Hancock the bullet missed the femoral artery, but it is lodged somewhere inside his body. As he lay there, now out of the fight, he notices an old friend of his heading to attach the Confederates. The wounded General summons Colonel Oscar Beasley commanding the 16th Vermont closer. Hancock grabs Beasley’s hand and says “go in Colonel and give it to them on the flank” (Pfantz, 1993). Hancock refuses to leave the battlefield until he knew the Union has prevailed and the Gettysburg battle is over. Hancock sends word to Meade of the victory, upon receiving the message, Meade replies with "say to General Hancock that I am sorry he is wounded, and that I thank him for the country and for myself and for the service he has rendered today” (Jordan, 1988). General Hancock is loaded into an ambulance and hauled away for medical treatment. Conclusion After a couple months of healing, General Hancock is once again back in the saddle commanding smaller battles and skirmishes for the Union Army, he would never again see the amount of death or destruction he witnessed at Gettysburg on July 3rd. After being relieved of command and basically retiring from the Army, Hancock’s appointed to head the Department of West Virginia until the end of the war. When George Meade dies in November 1872, Hancock becomes the new Commander of the Division of the Atlantic, a position he holds for the rest of his life. In 1880, Hancock is the Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate, in which James A. Garfield defeats him in 1881 and becomes the 20th President of the United States. On February 9th 1886 Winfield Hancock dies due to complications from diabetes (Jordan, 1988). Major General Winfield Scott Hancock remains a hero to some but not to all.
The novel, “Shiloh” by Shelby Foote is a fictional recreation of the bloody battle. The story begins with the soldiers of the Confederate Army heading towards Pittsburg Landing. The men are marching in terrible conditions. It is pouring down rain and they are dragging their tired legs through the mud. The troops come to a halt so the commanders can talk to General Johnston. General Johnston says the only way they might have a chance is if they plan a surprise attack. As the sergeants hand the men their guns, they are told to check the powder in case it got wet in the rain. A group of soldiers test their guns out on a deer running close by. At the same time the shots were fired, the sun came out and the soldiers started to scream and cheer. These noises combined were more than enough to alert the Union soldiers of the Confederates advance. Palmer remembers what his life was like before going to war. He attended the Louisiana State Military Academy when the Confederacy seceded from the Union. One of his professors predicted the south did not have a chance of winning the war. That night Palmer dreams of holding Sherman at gunpoint making him admit that he was wrong. Prior to the battle, the commanders create a battle plan. Palmer is assigned a part in this process. When the plan fails, Palmer learns that planning a battle is more difficult than it seems because the commanders on the ground face challenges that do not exist on paper.
Sears’ thesis is the Union could have won the war faster. McClellan was an incompetent commander and to take the initiative to attack an defeat the Confederate army. The Army of Northern Virginia, under...
Nevertheless, an attitude they show is their cause for engaging in the war. On page 110, Lee describes, “With every step of a soldier, with every tick of the clock, the army was gaining safety, closer to victory, closer to the dream of independence.” His words reveal that their reason for coming was to gain their long overdue independence. Without a cause worth fighting for on each side, the war would have no fuel or reason to continue. In like manner, another attitude of the South was their admiration for their commander general. On page 251, Longstreet proclaims, “Colonel, let me explain something. The secret of General Lee is that men love him and follow him with faith in him. That’s one secret.” I believe this clarifies that the bond of brotherhood and respect for each other in this army would allow for these soldiers to follow their leader blindly. The overwhelming amount of faith and trust among the Army of the Northern Virginia is inspiring. The Confederates prove in these appearances that they do indeed have an important cause that they are willing to die
The purpose of this paper is to perform a mission command analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg, honing in on Pickett’s Charge. The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1st through July 3rd in 1863 in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The belligerents were the Army of the Potomac, led by MG George G. Meade and the Army of Northern Virginia, led by GEN Robert E. Lee. The goal is to analyze the decisions of GEN Lee using the six mission command principles described in the Army Doctrine Publication 6-0 and then assess the outcome of those decisions.
“Their differing perceptions of the nature of war form the backbone of the difficult relationship between these two men.” Lee, an older soldier, values much of an offensive warfare approach, while Longstreet values a defensive warfare approach. Both men consistently argue about the best option for the Confederacy. However, “no matter how much he might disagree, Longstreet defers to Lee’s decisions.” In an argument as to who was right, none of the developed tactics provide clear evidence as to what was going to work, especially with a military of lesser men, considering the war in 1863. Although General Lee’s tactics did not work during the Battle of Gettysburg, there is no evidence that General Longstreet’s defensive strategy would have worked significantly better. Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely, and
When we compare the military leaders of both North and South during the Civil War, it is not hard to see what the differences are. One of the first things that stand out is the numerous number of Northern generals that led the “Army of the Potomac.” Whereas the Confederate generals, at least in the “Army of Northern Virginia” were much more stable in their position. Personalities, ambitions and emotions also played a big part in effective they were in the field, as well as their interactions with other officers.
Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely. Since this battle was one that went on until a majority of ones sided were depleted, the south should have played it safe against the Unions nearly surplus supply of
Major Anderson thought that the people of Charleston were about t attempt to seize Fort Sumter. He would not stand for this, so since he was commander of all the defenses of the harbor, and without any orders to disagree with him, he said that he could occupy any one of his choice. Since he was being watched he only told his plan to three or four officers that he knew that he could trust. He first removed the women and children with a supply of provisions. They were sent to Fort Johnson on Dec. 26 in vessels. The firing of tree guns at Moultrie was to be the signal for them to be conveyed to Sumter. In the evening the garrison went to Sumter. The people of Charleston knew that the women and children were at Fort Johnson and thought that Anderson would take his troops there. (www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battlefort-sumter.html)
The Union Army was able to match the intensity of the Confederacy, with the similar practice of dedication until death and patriotism, but for different reasons. The Union soldiers’s lifestyles and families did not surround the war to the extent of the Confederates; yet, their heritage and prosperity relied heavily on it. Union soldiers had to save what their ancestors fought for, democracy. “Our (Union soldiers) Fathers made this country, we, their children are to save it” (McPherson, 29). These soldiers understood that a depleted group of countries rather than one unified one could not flourish; “it is essential that but one Government shall exercise authority from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific” (Ledger, 1861).
General Lee knows that we have inexperienced men and aims at improving the quality of the troops. He upgrades the quality by tightening command and discipline, improving morale, and convincing the soldiers that the confederacy was in full command of the situation. Lee knew that we are lacking, and devised initiatives to nullify the Union’s superiority in manpower, armaments, and supply by destroying their prearranged plans.
After the second Battle of Manassas, the Army of the Potomac was demoralized and President Lincoln needed someone that could reorganize it. President Lincoln liked General McClellan personally and admired his strengths as an administrator, organizer, and drillmaster. Lincoln was aware that the soldiers loved General McClellan and had nicknamed him “Little Mac.” Knowing this, President Lincoln ordered General McClellan to “assume command of Washington, its defenses and all forces in the immediate vicinity.”1 This was not a field command but intended for General McClellan to take the returning demoralized Army and the new soldiers coming into Washington and make them a fighting force, nothing more. Lincoln knew as well that although Ge...
The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.
In 1863, the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was awoken to the beginning of what was to be the turning point of the Civil War for the Union. It began as a small skirmish, but by its end it involved so many Americans to which would become one of the bloodiest battles ever taken place on Unites States soil. The Battle of Gettysburg was not only a turning point in the war.
While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives.
The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.