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Antietam's Lessons
Fresno Bee ^ | September 29, 2002 | John Ellis

Posted on 09/29/2002 7:30:12 PM PDT by stainlessbanner

Edited on 04/12/2004 2:10:07 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

When the Battle of Antietam started, eighth-grade students from Wilson Middle School in Chowchilla were scattered along the rope line, all angling for an unobstructed view of the carnage.

For those within earshot, history teacher Mike Martin was offering a running commentary.


(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: 18620913; antietam; civilwar; dixie; dixielist; education; godsandgenerals; grant; greatestpresident; gulla; jackson; lee; lessonplans; lincoln; maryland; maxwell; md; newjersey; nj; reenactors; relee; ronmaxwell; sharpsburg; stonewall; thecivilwar; war
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Lesson #1 - it's called Sharpsburg.
1 posted on 09/29/2002 7:30:12 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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2 posted on 09/29/2002 7:30:47 PM PDT by Mo1
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To: wardaddy; TomServo; WhowasGustavusFox; sheltonmac; SonnyBubba; wirestripper; Jasper; ...
ping
3 posted on 09/29/2002 7:30:54 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: stainlessbanner
Lesson #2: Narrow bridges are bad. River Fords are good.
4 posted on 09/29/2002 7:35:01 PM PDT by El Sordo
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To: stainlessbanner
"It took a long time for the strategy to catch up with the technology," he said, observing a tight-knit group of Union soldiers marching in formation -- easy prey for enemy fire. "Look how long it takes to load a cannon. It take 40 to 45 seconds working at full speed to get those cannons running."

Yes, it did take a long time for the strategy to catch up with the techonology. However, in the above quote, the guy is giving an example of the technology lagging behind the strategy. How is it that most of the world is incapable of logical thought?

Anyway, what the guy is really referring to is the tactics not keeping up with the technology, but he doesn't know the difference between tactics and strategy.

Personally, I think the problem was more the strategy rather than the tactics. Marching in to battle in line formation was necessitated by the fact that there was no other way to keep control of them men. Hence, the need to keep them shoulder to shoulder. This state of affairs prevailed, albeit to a lesser degree, through world war 1.

The great breakthrough in strategy was the smaller independent unit, which neccesitated better trained and more loyal soldiers, led by better trained and more numerous officers.

Nobody will admit it of course, but it was Rommel's book "Infrantry attacks" that really changed everything.

5 posted on 09/29/2002 7:38:19 PM PDT by Rodney King
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To: All
There, (nurse) Janet Shelley of Sebastopol and (doctor) Paul Withington of Napa entertained student and adult alike with tales of medicine, circa 1862.

Great. And for added realism, they could also have had a few large piles of recently amputated arms and legs stacked and stinking in the sun outside the hospital tents, courtesy of the regimental surgeons' bone saws. That would have really "entertained" the little dears about the medical realities of the Civil War much, much more then their insipid and mundane tales about bleeding with leaches.

6 posted on 09/29/2002 7:47:59 PM PDT by Ipse Dixit
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To: Rodney King
To clarify, "Infantry Attacks" is about tactics, but it require a change in strategy in order to implement.
7 posted on 09/29/2002 7:59:59 PM PDT by Rodney King
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To: stainlessbanner
I got to visit Antietam/Sharpsburg with my adult daughter this last May. I swear you could close your eyes and hear the sounds of the solders
8 posted on 09/29/2002 8:01:22 PM PDT by UB355
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To: stainlessbanner
"This year, the kids are awesome," Stanley said. "And they actually know who Harriet Tubman is."

My question is how many pages in their textbook is devoted to Harriet (Moses) Tubman and how many to Lincoln and Washington? I'm not antagonistic about space devoted to Tubman and Douglass, but there is only so much time, space and pages in what is now probably called Social Studies, that the vital lodestones of our nation and democracy get short-changed.

9 posted on 09/29/2002 8:06:23 PM PDT by SES1066
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To: Rodney King
I just sent my son my copy of "Attacks" by Rommel. My son is at Ft. Benning, GA at Infantry OSUT. He is bound for a Ranger Battalion. He is making me real proud.

Rangers lead the way. 10-77.
10 posted on 09/29/2002 8:25:10 PM PDT by american_ranger
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To: stainlessbanner
Lesson #1 - it's called Sharpsburg.

Well, yeah. But, Stainless, you can't expect them to know that. People in California are for the most part Yankees. You have to reeducate them about the truth slowly. This sort of thing is at least a step in the right direction.

It's good to know that we reenactors are at least making some kind of contribution to educating the public, though I had NO idea that anybody in California was doing any sort of job of reenacting. One gets the impression that the reenactors out there in CA are for the most part farbs.

11 posted on 09/29/2002 8:39:26 PM PDT by Capriole
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To: UB355
I'm taking my nine-year old up to Perryville for the anniversary reenactment here in a week or so. We were at Shiloh a couple months ago, walked with her along the front line of the Hornet's Nest, walked around Bloody Pond - trying to give her a little better idea of the history that surrounds us.
12 posted on 09/29/2002 8:49:23 PM PDT by Tennessee_Bob
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To: american_ranger
OUTSTANDING!!!

I hope my son follows his ol' man also one day Semper Suo! 12-84

By the way, does this look familiar?

http://www-benning.army.mil/rtb/ranger/photo/10-77.jpg

13 posted on 09/29/2002 8:50:14 PM PDT by bat-boy
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To: stainlessbanner; Rodney King
Forgetting about the historical arguements in the presentation, I'd like to see more of this in our schools.

If they can find a way of doing it without guns, of course. :>)

14 posted on 09/29/2002 8:59:32 PM PDT by SJackson
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To: stainlessbanner
http://www.ronmaxwell.com

http://www.godsandgenerals.com
15 posted on 09/29/2002 9:20:00 PM PDT by Coleus
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: stainlessbanner
The battle at Antietam bridge (Now Burnside Bridge) saw 23,000 casualties on both sides in a single day. The bloodiest engagement in U.S. military history, with casualties of more than TWICE as many Americans as in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War COMBINED.
18 posted on 09/29/2002 9:50:52 PM PDT by Zebra
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

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