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George Meade's Farewell Address with Comment from Paul Bailey, LBG, Gettysburg, PA

6/28/2015

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Headquarters Army of the Potomac, June 28, 1865.Soldiers:   
This day, two years, I assume command of you, under the order of the President of the United States. To-day, by virtue of the same authority, this army ceasing to exist, I have to announce my transfer to other duties, and my separation from you.    It is unnecessary to enumerate here all that has occurred in these two eventful years, from the grand and decisive Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the war, to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. Suffice it to say that history will do you justice, a grateful country will honor the living, cherish and support the disabled, and sincerely mourned the dead.    In parting from you, your commanding general will ever bear in memory your noble devotion to your country, your patience and cheerfulness under all the privations and sacrifices you have been called upon to endure.    Soldiers! having accomplished the work set before us, having vindicated the honor and integrity of our Government and flag, let us return thanks to Almighty God for His blessing in granting us victory and peace; and let us sincerely pray for strength and light to discharge our duties as citizens, as we have endeavored to discharge them as soldiers.                        

________________
Paul Baily, LBG, Gettysburg, PA, wrote the following:

Geo. G. Meade,Major General, U.S.A. 
   

June 28, 2015 marks 150 years since General George G. Meade bid farewell to the Army of the Potomac. While there have been many famous farewell speeches in history such as General George Washington’s farewell address to the Continental Army and General Robert E. Lee’s farewell message to the Army of Northern Virginia, today we rarely hear farewell speeches unless a President gives a farewell address to the nation at the end of their term.

In fact, we don’t like to use the term “farewell” because it conjures up images of eulogies and funerals. But farewells should not be limited to just sad occasions. Just think of a college commencement speech, it is the college’s way of saying farewell, “Congratulations! Don’t come back to school tomorrow.”    

Farewells should be celebrations; of good times and bad. They should commemorate; success as well as failure. And they should be a time to reflect; on the team’s shared struggle and sacrifices that made success a possibility.    

Farewells should Not be a time to address some past wrong or insult or to insult someone as you are walking out the door. Remember, last impressions are just as important as first impressions. After all, you do want to be invited back to the reunions. (Whether or not you attend the reunion, is another matter. But you do want to be invited back.)    

If you are being replaced by someone, introduce them. This lets the team know you are not cutting and running. And that you have worked with your replacement to reduce the chaos that always follows a transition in leadership.    

Lastly, farewells are never the end. Yes, it may be the last time you see or work with team members and projects do get completed. However, there are always new teams and new projects. Use this time to reflect and assess on all that you have done. Challenge yourself and your old team to do better next time; to complete the project without you; or to start a new project in the hope that you may work together once again in the future.    

As the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War comes to a close, I hope to meet you again “on a great battlefield of that war”…until then, farewell.
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Copyright 20115 Paul Lloyd Hemphill
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Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Use your imagination.

9/7/2014

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The following is an excerpt from my book, Gettysburg Lessons in the Digital Age. It's also the 39th installment of this blog which is published each Saturday morning (good with coffee, by the way). If you would like my book for free in this piece-meal fashion, sign up for my blog right now over there -->

Unlike many Union generals, Chamberlain had no military training. Fluent in several languages and a college professor of logic and natural theology, he possessed a simple resolve to play a small role in keeping the Union together. As secession became a reality, he wrote passionately that it “was war upon the Union; and that meant the destruction of the United States - body, life and being.” When it appeared that he was about to die from a horrible wound, he was the only Union officer in the Civil War to receive a battlefield promotion to general.

In the habit of visualizing what his adversary might do, he would mentally prepare a strategy to meet the challenge. This mental technique dated back to his days as a college student when he struggled with his first adversary, which was his own speech impediment of stuttering. To succeed at what you want to do, he wrote,     “…feel the emotion of it [accomplishment], and that will bear you to its motion.” In other words, experience the feelings of what you visualize and achievement will be set in motion. Not surprisingly he became an accomplished speaker.

Positive traits that would prove productive were his senses of fairness and persuasiveness. Just before the battle he was given a unit of belligerent Maine veterans who were in no mood to cooperate. Chamberlain had the option to treat them as prisoners preparatory to a court-martial for desertion. Instead, he initiated a relationship by distributing food while discussing what needed to be done. He communicated his vision in such a way that they became clear on his objective. By winning their confidence he now had the crucial number of fighting men necessary to carry out the next operation. But pressure was mounting fast.

Improvisation, another talent, came at the most critical moment. On the second day of battle Chamberlain's regiment, exhausted and nearly surrounded, ran out of ammunition. In a position that he was ordered to hold “at all hazards,” he stood at the very brink of disaster. He could surrender the end of the Union line, or he could fix bayonets and make a last-ditch effort to hold his position. There was no choice, his orders were exact: “at all hazards” was to be taken literally. He had to think quickly about how he was going to stand firm with his men from Maine.
 
He did not order a charge. “It was vain,” he later wrote, “to order ‘Forward’.” He put a charge in motion simply by screaming the word, “Bayonets!” “There are things,” he added, ‘whose seed is in itself.’” A commander was entitled to take credit for the actions of his men, yet he insisted for years after the event that his men were more deserving of credit on the second day. Nevertheless, the War Department cited him for bravery and awarded him the Medal of Honor.

                                         Gettysburg Lessons

Despite limitations you can succeed.
With limited resources you can still get the job done, influence others to act by simply saying a single word. When Chamberlain yelled “Bayonets!” after his men had run out of ammunition, this one word led them to charge ahead. They quickly discovered that their resources were not so limited after all. If you cannot find your calculator, use a pencil; if you cannot exercise by running, try walking; if you cannot find a teaching job, try mentoring; if you cannot do a project all by yourself, ask for help.

Use your imagination.
Twenty-five years after the battle, Chamberlain wrote of imagination as the force that “enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before…” Albert Einstein echoed Chamberlain many years later: “Imagination can go places where knowledge cannot.”  Succeed by using your imagination. It can help you unleash unknown resources. It gives you the advantage to improvise on what you already have. It can provide the one answer you need. It is the mind’s back-up mechanism when all else fails. To “get” imagination, sit quietly, close your eyes and imagine the joy you are experiencing by having accomplished your goal. Then feel the excitement as if you already achieved your objective. Or, brainstorm with others to discover a workable idea, and the excitement of that discovery will influence you to find your solution.

Motivate by giving credit.
Give full credit to others when they contribute to your achievement; you will gain their respect. Recognition can also translate into someone else’s dedication to your objectives. You are leading others to produce by the influence of your positive words and actions.

Communicating your vision gets results.
Do not be surprised when subordinates act in a positive manner independently of you. What they are doing is anticipating you, instinctively aware of what you want them to do. You have effectively communicated your vision of where you want them to go. You have led them by the influence of your purpose. Their experience of your trust encourages them to exercise their own judgment, responsibilities and talents. The “seed [of productivity] is in itself.” If your organization is expanding, chances are you are being anticipated, somebody is already working on your expansion plans.

To realize a goal, first visualize it.
Visualizing and feeling terrific - “to feel the emotion of it” - about the outcome will assure better results. Improve job performance by visualizing the raise you seek, better grades by visualizing the scores you want, better health by visualizing the trim body you desire, and improved relationships by visualizing yourself with positive and uplifting people. Your visualizations will influence you to act in your own best interests. Every four years this technique receives mention during the Olympic Games.     

Be certain you are understood.

When Chamberlain was told to hold his line “at all hazards,” the instruction was absolutely clear. Because he was able to communicate orders to his men without confusion or ambiguity, instructions were not misunderstood and victory was achieved. A powerful influence is a simple communication.
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Copyright 2014 Paul Lloyd Hemphill
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    Paul Lloyd Hemphill, a life-long marketing specialist, is frustrated with how American history is taught in our schools - through boring textbooks and too many uncommitted teachers.  On his own initiative, he chose the battle of Gettysburg as the vehicle to change how American history is taught. Convinced he needed to entertain students in order for them to be receptive to learning history, he employs the digital media they prefer as a learning tool: video and audio. These stories reveal an unexpected bonus which historians are not obliged to discuss: the ingredients of success that are a proven part of your DNA. This blog complements his digital approach since so many adults still treasure reading the written word.

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