Recently, one of my networking groups had the opportunity to visit the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Civil War battlefield.  I took the opportunity to invite my sons-in-law.  To my pleasant surprise, they all accepted with enthusiasm.  As it turns out, they all are interested in history.  The trip was arranged through Brigadier General Drew Davis, who the evening before the battlefield tour took us through the crucial command decisions made during that pivotal three day battle July 1, 2, 3, 1862.  He then compared and related these decisions to some well known business decisions made within the last decade or so.

The day of the battlefield tour was wonderful… sunny, temperatures in the high 70s, low humidity.  We spent a good part of our day walking the actual battlefield.  Our tour guide was Colonel Vince Goulding, a retired Marine colonel and a former teacher at the U.S. War College and Civil War, and in particular, Gettysburg history buff.

The critical battle of the Civil War was on the third day when General Pickett was ordered by General Robert E. Lee to charge across an open field right into the center of the Union forces.  By walking that charge (almost one mile), we could see the hill where the Union artillery batteries had been dug in.  The Union artillery destroyed Pickett’s forces from that position.  It became quickly obvious to us that Lee, considered one of the most loved and capable generals ever produced by the U.S., made a huge blunder that day.  Perhaps he was desperate (his troops were starving and he needed supplies).  Or, maybe he was arrogant (because he had beaten the Yankees so often).  In his defense, he fully expected to break the Union line, threaten Washington, D.C., and force the Union into a negotiated settlement.  Whatever compelled him to commit his valuable resources against such difficult odds only highlights that even our best leaders can and will make huge mistakes.

The four of us came away exhilarated by our visit into U.S. history.  I’m happy my sons-in-law enjoyed it and I’m truly pleased that we found a common interest.  I hope that we are able to take other trips together.

I understand (from Bonnie) that my daughters were a bit surprised with my invitation to just the sons-in-law.  They have since approached Bonnie to arrange their "outing."  It will probably be a spa or something like that — a little less "rugged" than ours.

I discovered one other thing on our trip, an interest by the "guys" in the value of networking.  Of course, I embrace the value of nurturing numerous networks with solid relationships.  I am pleased that I had the opportunity to address one of my most favorite topics.  I am sure I over did it, but I am happy that each of us were able to add one more network in our lives.

This cannon in the photograph marks the approximate area where Pickett began his famous charge on July 3, 1862.  Their focus was the clump of trees in the red circle (and the center of the Union line). The Union artillery was on a hill to the right (out of the photo) overlooking the field.