A brisk mid-spring wind greeted 40 Schar School of Policy and Government students and faculty members as they arrived at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. They made the two-hour drive from Arlington’s Schar School on a blustery Saturday in April to learn details about the successes and failures of the deadliest battle in the Civil War.
The tour was facilitated by the Schar School’s Center for Security Policy Studies.
Although the Battle of Gettysburg took place 156 years ago, the national security and strategic decisions leading up to a three-day fight that took some 8,000 lives continue to resonate.
“We come to Gettysburg, because the story comes alive in so many dimensions,” said Center for Security Policy Studies director Ellen Laipson, who also directs the Master’s in International Security program. “It’s a story of genius and folly. It’s a human drama and a political story in the U.S.”
The eight-hour event was led by Rob Abbott, a longtime tour guide and a member of the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides. Abbott focused on the succession of command, strategy, and the failures and successes of each Union and Confederate leader in the battle. The tour was constructed chronologically, from the first day of battle to Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address.
Karen Wilhelm, an adjunct professor at the Schar School and a retired Air Force colonel, helped put the battle and the Civil War in historic context.
“The North and the South had their own grand strategic goals in mind,” she said. “The North wanted to keep the Union together and eliminate slavery. The South wanted to establish independence as a nation, eliminate Lincoln, and maintain slavery.”
“A failure on both sides of this battle was keeping subordinates informed and prepared,” said Abbott. “A good leader gives clear and concise orders and encourages questions from subordinates.”
For many Union and Confederate leaders, the refusal to heed orders from superiors led to the demise of a large number of soldiers, Abbott said. “Expect what you inspect,” he said. “If I give orders, I am going to make sure they follow through.”
The last stop on the Gettysburg tour was Cemetery Hill, a large burial site for Union soldiers—and a few unintentional Confederate soldiers—and the site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
“Lincoln held two important principles: One should never own another human being, and you get what you work for,” said Wilhelm. “He deliberately took the text of the Declaration of Independence and reimagined the country.”
Schar School students signed up for the day-long outing to see the famed hallowed ground in person, and to have its significance put into perspective.
“I wanted to learn more about a battle that changed the United States,” said Amir Mahmond, a sophomore Government and International Politics major. “This was a chance to come to Gettysburg and learn about the people who laid down their lives for the freedom of others.”
“There was a huge benefit to being in the place where the action happened,” said Connor Monie, a Master’s in International Security student and a Fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies. “It is informative and insightful to bring the war down to a personal level, which you miss in broad classes.”