Gettysburg Staff Ride Fall 2009

This fall, I am taking my Millersville University Civil War & Reconstruction class on a Gettysburg staff ride.   A staff ride is not a battlefield tour but an academic exercise that began with the Prussian military in the mid-1800’s.    The staff ride differs from a battlefield tour in that the student must prepare for the exercise in advance and, upon reaching the battlefield, becomes a participant in the event.  

Early in the semester, I assign each student a key figure from a particular aspect of Gettysburg.  Some are assigned an officer, others a brigade, and others a regiment or a private soldier.  Depending upon the number of participants, other assignments may include civilians, weaponry, or a farmstead.   In addition to reading assigned secondary sources and attending classroom lectures on Gettysburg, students are required to conduct primary source research into their specific subject.  

Once in Gettysburg, students present their research to the group at the appropriate location on the battlefield.  Students are encouraged to use illustrations such as a photo or map to help explain their subject and their findings.  During the presentation, some students assume the persona of their subject even to the extent of speaking in a Southern accent or wearing a Yankee uniform.  Some students describe the physical descriptions of their soldier including eye color, hair color, height & weight as well as the soldier’s pre-war occupation and marital status.  Others analyze the decisions of their subject in terms of The U.S. Army’s 9 Principles of War or M*E*T*T*T (concepts covered in class).  In all cases, the student discusses what happened to their subject and examines the results of their actions.  The staff ride exercise ties together research using printed primary sources directly to the battlefield itself and creates a “three dimensional analysis” by bringing Gettysburg from the pages of the past into the present.

 I learned the fundamentals of conducting a staff ride while studying the Manassas, Antietam, and Gettysburg battlefields under the tutelage of Dr. Carol Reardon during my 2002 Summer Fellowship at West Point.   I have made certain modifications in my staff ride exercise to meet the needs of civilian college students rather than professional military personnel.  While I leave plenty of room for those with an interest in traditional military history, my staff rides also give students the opportunity to gain insight into social history & the experience of the individual at Gettysburg.