Just two miles South of the town of Gettysburg, and standing at 650 feet above sea level stands the summit of Little Round Top. Little Round Top, which is the second highest hill in the Gettysburg area is less than a half mile across and at first glance to many tacticians looking at its terrain may be considered irrelevant and insignificant due to its restrictive nature for any type of ground maneuver force (Filled with portions of dense woods and large boulders). However, on the afternoon of July 2, 1863 the successful defense of this small hill by the Union Army decisively changed the outcome of the Gettysburg campaign. The Battle of Little Round Top was essentially a brigade level battle between the left flank of the Union Army occupying …show more content…
This analysis will remain at the tactical level however, and focus on arguably the most decisive elements of the battle which were the extreme flanks on both sides led by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine for the Union, and Colonel William Oates and the 15th Alabama for the Confederates. The expert use of terrain and the application of the mission command principles of disciplined initiative, shared understanding, accepting prudent risk, and ultimately building a cohesive team through mutual trust by Colonel Chamberlain and his subordinate Company Commanders and the failure to apply these principles by Colonel Oates and his higher chain of command ultimately led to the Union success on Little Round Top. Before this argument can be made however, the scene and conditions leading up to the battle must be described, as they would influence greatly the actions taken by both sides on July …show more content…
The American Civil War is in its second year of intense fighting. Multiple strategic campaigns are occurring on both sides. General Ulysses S. Grant and his Union force are sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River on the way to certain victory at Vicksburg. General William Rosecrans and his Union force are in place to attack at Chattanooga, and the Confederate Army in the West is days away from being cut off from the South. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia are situated along the Rappahannock River in Virginia. Lee’s Army is battle-tested and carrying the confidence of decisive victories in Fredericksburg in December and most recently in Chancellorsville. General Lee is fully aware of the dire situation in the West and proposes to Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States, to begin a summer campaign in the North. General Lee’s reasons for this campaign were threefold. The first was that once across the Potomac hungry Rebels could feast in a land of plenty. The Virginia villages and farms could no longer sustain the logistical requirements of the Army of Northern Virginia, and Lee saw a campaign taking them north as a realistic way to replenish their supplies. The second was that General Lee believed “winning in the homeland of the Union would somehow give voice to the Northern peace movement and end the war”. General Lee’s third reason was that many European powers had taken interest in the