LEADERSHIP LESSONS
FROM ANTIETAM
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
1-day format
(Shown for Shepherdstown, West Virginia
and Sharpsburg, Maryland)
9:00 am
Introductions and expectations
What contemporary management lessons can we discover in a Civil War
battlefield? Examine the management challenges of the battlefield leaders to
find some striking parallels.
9:15 am
Forming Teams: Two Armies Gear for War
When the Civil War began in 1861, neither side was prepared for the length and
magnitude that the war would take. Anticipating a rapid conclusion, the armies
rallied state militias with volunteers signing up for a few months of service. As
the opening battles proved, there was a vast need for training, infrastructures,
supplies, and leadership. Class discussion examines the parallels between the
growing Civil War armies and the contemporary workplace—from lack of
resources to changing technologies.
10:00 am
Strategic Issues for the Confrontation in Sharpsburg
Begin your analysis of this battle from the top. What were the goals of the two
presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis? What were their
expectations for the outcome of this battle, both short-term and in terms of the
outcome of the war?
Then turn to the commanders in the field to examine the pressures they felt as
the battle began. What skills did they bring with them, and how well were they
prepared to perform under the pressures of the battlefield? What information
did they have, and what concerns did they carry with them that day?
10:30 am
Tour: Antietam National Battlefield
Using your knowledge of the leaders, walk in their footsteps and evaluate the
pressures of the shifting locations of the armies, view the landscape, and assess
the information they had to help them make decisions. No movie or book can
replace the feelings (and the insights into leadership) that remain with you after
a visit to this historic site.
Box lunches can be provided for lunch during the tour.
2:00 pm
Team Preparation for Battlefield Reports
Participants will work in teams to analyze key leaders at the Battle of Antietam.
What were the decisions they faced, and what factors helped or hindered their
making those decisions effectively? What errors did they make, and how could
they have acted differently? Looking closer to home, how is your workplace
today similar—in terms of pressures, personalities, resources, communications?
2:15 pm
3:00 pm
Team Reports: Leadership on the Antietam Battlefield
Who Won at Antietam?
Turn to the consequences of this battle, putting it into perspective. What were
the consequences of this bloody day in Maryland? What was its effect on the
outcome of the Civil War?
3:20 pm
Personal Leadership Analysis: Who Will Follow You?
How would you perform under the pressures that plagued the troops at
Antietam? Would your decisions be based on clear thinking, assessing what is
best for the organization instead of the individual? Would you fall back on old
habits and ways of thinking? Can you guarantee that you will have clear
channels of communication between yourself and subordinates, as well as with
peers? It is in this application of the LESSONS FROM ANTIETAM that you can
make this workshop truly meaningful to yourself and to your organization.
3:30 pm
Wrap-up