Audio read by Dr. Jeff McCausland
Excerpt written by Jeff McCausland and Tom Vossler
Portrait of Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet
Photo: USAMHI
Just before sunset on the first day of the Gettysburg battle, Confederate General James Longstreet joined his commander, General Robert E. Lee, in the vicinity of the Lutheran Seminary for a brief meeting. From their vantage point they could see a mile to the east the remnants of their retreating enemy attempting to rally and re-organize on the high ground of Cemetery Hill.
Having had a few minutes to study the terrain with his field glasses, Longstreet turned to Lee and advised him that by the coming of daylight the next morning the Union Army’s Cemetery Hill position would be too strongly defended to be attacked successfully and any attempt to assault the position would result in high Confederate casualties which they could ill-afford. Going further, Longstreet suggested that rather than directly attack the enemy, the Confederate Army should disengage temporarily, move to the right, and maneuver the Union troops off their strongly held position.
Lee briefly considered Longstreet’s prediction and recommendation. After a long moment, he rejected both and told Longstreet, “If those people are still there in the morning we will attack them at that place”. In protest Longstreet replied, “General Lee, if those people are still there in the morning it is because they want you to attack them at that place”. Clearly, Longstreet did not think it advisable to make the attack Lee wanted but for the moment further discussion was closed.
Early the next morning Lee sent out a reconnaissance party to confirm the enemy’s positions to better determine the Confederate Army’s potential objectives during the impending attack. At 8:00 a.m., based upon the scouting reports he received, Lee ordered preparations be made for a two-pronged attack against the Union Army defensive line on Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge. The attack was to be made as soon as possible.
Contrary to Lee’s expectations, commencement of the attack was delayed a full eight hours after his orders were given. It was 4:00 p.m. before Generals Longstreet and Ewell had their troops in position to make the attack. Ewell’s delay can be explained by his inexperience in a new higher level position of command. But what of veteran corps commander Longstreet – Lee’s “old warhorse”? Evidence is strong that in this case Longstreet was second guessing his bosses’ decision and “slow-rolling” the boss on execution. Where did his loyalties lie?
WHERE DOES MY LOYALTY LIE?
Longstreet had a problem that most subordinates will confront at some point—where does my ultimate loyalty lie? Is it with my boss, whom I truly admire, or with what I firmly believe is best for the organization? Longstreet’s affinity for his soldiers and their lives was noted earlier. Some historians have described this moment as a moral dilemma for Longstreet. He and Lee had been through many battles over the previous year and been successful in almost every case. There is little doubt that he had enormous respect and admiration for Lee, but at this critical moment they disagreed. He had had an opportunity to disagree with his boss and offer a different course of action. But did he aggressively carry out his orders or allow his opposition to frame his actions?
Effective leaders want to achieve buy-in for the direction they wish the organization to take but know that they can only devote so much time to accomplishing this task. As previously suggested, time is perhaps every leader’s most precious resource, and the one that is the most inelastic. Organizations operate in a dynamic environment. Consequently, extensive delay in decision-making can translate into missed opportunity or even stasis.
Some historians have criticized Longstreet for translating his disagreement with Lee’s plan into getting the “slows” or even “slow-rolling” the execution of a decision the boss had made. They argue even though Lee had issued his orders Longstreet found excuses not to begin deploying his forces and wasted precious hours that had a significant effect as the day progressed. All followers will experience this challenge, and leaders must be attentive to it. Leaders must ask themselves several critical questions when making difficult decisions. Have I allowed my team to describe their alternative plans within the constraints of time and listened to them prior to making key decisions? But does resistance to a particular decision translate into a half-hearted response and undermine the organization’s overall efforts?
Parts of this article are excerpted and adapted from Battle Tested! Gettysburg Leadership Lessons for 21st Century Leaders written by Jeffrey D. McCausland and Tom Vossler. The book is available now! Order your copy at: https://bit.ly/battletestedbook.