USARCG leaders gain insights from Gettysburg battle assessment

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Leaders of the U.S. Army Reserve Careers Group participated in

a Gettysburg staff ride June 25, gathering insights from the pivotal Civil War battle and

related them to contemporary leadership and decision making.

Col. Marshall Scantlin, the previous commander of ARCG, said the staff ride gave the

team a chance to review tactics and operations from a significant battle in American

history, the lessons of understanding the mission, and how applying it to decision

making still applies to today’s modern Army.

“Just like back at the Battle of Gettysburg, we need leaders to be able to step up,

execute the commander's intent well, but still understand the big picture and what is

going on all over the battlefield.”

The historical and tactical study of the three- day battle of Gettysburg was the focus for

this staff ride, encompassing a preliminary study at the home station, an extensive visit

to campaign sites at Gettysburg, and an opportunity to integrate lessons derived from

each.

The staff ride was facilitated by military historians of the Army University Press team,

who educate Army leaders and help frame the situation from an objective point of view

to analyze key leaders’ decisions.

“It allows you to look at historical references that have happened previously, things that

may have gone well and things that may have not gone well,” said Troy Lewis, staff ride

historian for the Army University Press at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. “They can discuss

the decision -making process on how that particular leader came to that decision and

talk about some of the different options that they had or didn’t have, which would

therefore impact their leadership ability on that day.”

“The biggest takeaway from several teammates was the difference between

understanding the context of the battle from looking at the terrain map of Gettysburg,

and then actually walking the battleground,” said Lewis. “Battlefield decisions started to

make more sense after they saw the terrain themselves and walked it themselves.”

If your team is interested in a staff ride, the Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team of

the Army University Press hosts over 50 different staff rides. For more information go to:

https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Staff-Rides/Traditional-Staff-Ride/