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May 2013
2D TANK BATTALION
IRONHORSE OFFICERS REFLECT ON GETTYSBURG LEADERSHIP
Staff ride at Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania, promotes discussion of tactical-level decision-making and
strategic contexts of pivotal three-day battle in the American Civil War.
We know the stories of our own. At
Chapultepec, Iwo Jima, Inchon, Hue City,
Fallujah and Marjah, we take great pride
that United States Marines fought and
sacrificed for the Nation; these places
shape our consciousness as Marines. But
on May 18-20, 2013, and with the
assistance of the Marine Corps Association
and Foundation, the officers of 2d Tank
Battalion, 2d Marine Division traveled to
Gettysburg National Military Park,
Pennsylvania, to conduct a staff ride and
learn lessons from the battlefields of our
own American Civil War.
Blackson, tank officer, who served as
coordinator for the trip. “With the 150th
anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg
occurring this summer, we wanted to take
the opportunity to walk these grounds and
reflect on how this battle was pivotal to our
history as a Nation.”
The officers were led through the
battlefield by a former Marine and licensed
tour guide, Mr. John Fitzpatrick, who
described the events of July 1-3, 1863 as
well as the personal stories of the Union
and Confederate soldiers. At the Peach
Orchard, the Wheatfield, Devil’s Den,
“The purpose of the trip is to enhance our Little Round Top, and the Angle, the
professional military education, develop officers walked the ground and discussed
camaraderie, and facilitate a life-long study the decisions of tactical-level leaders.
of leadership,” said First Lieutenant Scott
[1]
Connecting past and present
2ndLt John Fergerson, Tank Officer, and 2ndLt
Katherine Lindbom, Communications Officer,
both from Maine, stand in front of a memorial
to Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th
Maine Infantry, who defended the southern
flank of Little Round Top on July 2, 1863.
The Union victory at Gettysburg and the
subsequent fall of Vicksburg in the West
served as turning points in the American
Civil War. Yet, the cost of the battle was
high: total casualties at the conclusion of
the three-day battle (killed, wounded,
captured, and missing) were 23,000 for the
Union and as many as 28,000 for the
Confederates.
In November 1863,
President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg
Address upon the dedication of the
Soldier’s National Cemetery, capturing the
essence of the battle and the bloodshed
between Americans.
At the Gettysburg
National Park Service
and Visitors Center, a 360degree cylindrical painting by
French artist Paul Philippoteaux
depicts “Pickett’s Charge” up
Cemetery Ridge. It was
completed in 1883 and
originally exhibited in
Chicago.
“The character of Lincoln – as well as
those actions from the leaders on this
battlefield – reminds us that leadership
matters. I wanted to bring the officers of
this great battalion to Gettysburg so that
they can engage our Marines with the
history of these topics and places,” said
L i e u t e n a n t C o l o n e l J o n L a u d e r,
Commanding Officer.
There is a long-preserved connection
between tankers and Gettysburg; prior to
World War I, then-Major Dwight D.
Eisenhower supervised the U. S. Army’s
Tank Corps recruit training at nearby
Camp Colt, and in 1922, General John A.
Lejeune directed the reenactment of
Pickett’s Charge first on foot, and then
with armor and air.
Thanks to the Marine Corps Association
and Foundation, these officers were able to
serve as the next link in this great tradition,
remembering and reflecting on our
American military heritage.
Images from the battlefield
(top to bottom): 2d Tank Battalion
officers take photos of the
Gettysburg Battlefield from the
defensive line on Little Round Top;
Captain Kirk Steinhorst, Fire
Support Control Officer, 2d Tank
Battalion, discusses Civil War
artillery at The Angle; Lieutenant
Colonel Jon Lauder, Commanding
Officer, presents tour guide John
Fitzpatrick with an engraved aft cap
from an M1A1 Main Battle Tank
main gun round at the monument
to Confederate Brigadier General
Lewis A. Armistead at the “High
Water Mark” on Cemetery Ridge.
[2]