Wheeler's Behavior During The Savannah Campaign

999 Words4 Pages

On 3 December, Kilpatrick had camped near Thomas station, south of Waynesboro. Union troops commenced their advance towards Waynesboro in the morning. Dismounted Confederate soldiers soon disrupted them. The main defensive position of Confederate forces was located further north. Kilpatrick planned to overpower this position by engaging the enemy frontally and turning its flanks. After an intense engagement, Confederate forces withdrew to their second line of defense along the road to Waynesboro. Kilpatrick launched a frontal assault and penetrated Confederate defenses after overcoming harsh opposition. Thereafter, Wheeler retreated towards Brier Creek and Union troops entered Waynesboro8. Wheeler continued to harass Union forces moving towards …show more content…

It teaches that regardless of facing great challenges, a military leader must demonstrate resilience and insistence. A leader must be flexible in his judgment, beliefs, tactics, and actions. By following Wheeler’s example, a leader must do the utmost to accomplish maximum results with available resources. In addition, discipline is one of the most important characteristic of an Army at all times. Leaders have the obligation to command their troops under any situation and under no circumstance should never allow the lack of discipline. Harsh action and on time or on spot must be taken against soldiers that commit lack of discipline braking orders and superior command guidance. This way, current and future military leaders can avoid negative climate command. Chain of command must be clearly expressed prior to the beginning of any operation. To avoid misunderstanding, only the immediate commander must distribute orders and instructions to his subordinate commander during the battle. In order to prevent faulty assumptions, the conclusion about enemy’s intentions must be drawn after obtaining reliable information and analyzing it. A military leader must synchronize his actions across the entire range of operations, in order to succeed in his mission. What I personally appreciate more about General Wheeler is the fact that he never gave up, he tried to do his best even though the situation was not in his favor. To conclude my opinion I would like to quote Winston Churchill “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” and this is one the most important lessons I took from General