Tuesday, November 14, 2017
at Ft. McNair Officers' Club, Washington, DC
6 pm: Social Hour (cash bar)
7 pm: Dinner ($36 for dinner and lecture)
8 pm: Lecture ($5 for lecture only)
Reservations required by 5pm, Wed., Nov. 8th
SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE OR AT http://cwrtdc-meetings.blogspot.com/
TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AND REMIT PAYMENT
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About the Topic:
For many, General George Armstrong Custer is better known for his exploits and controversies after the Civil War, especially the Battle of the Little Big Horn. His career in the Union army was a success, however, due in large part to his bravery and his audacity. Described as aggressive, gallant, reckless, and foolhardy, Custer has become one of the most celebrated and controversial figures of the Civil War.
For many, General George Armstrong Custer is better known for his exploits and controversies after the Civil War, especially the Battle of the Little Big Horn. His career in the Union army was a success, however, due in large part to his bravery and his audacity. Described as aggressive, gallant, reckless, and foolhardy, Custer has become one of the most celebrated and controversial figures of the Civil War.
“Come on You Wolverines” Custer leads the Michigan Cavalry Brigade,
Gettysburg - July 3, 1863, by Don Troiani, dated 1980 (used with permission)
On June 29, 1863, Custer was commissioned to brigadier general of volunteers and assigned to command a brigade in Kilpatrick’s division. In that position, he led his men at Gettysburg to prevent J.E.B. Stuart from attacking the Union rear.
Throughout the war,
Custer continued to distinguish himself as fearless, aggressive, and
ostentatious. His personalized uniform, complete with a red neckerchief,
could be somewhat alienating, but he was successful in gaining the respect of
his men with his willingness to lead attacks from the front rather than the
back.
During the Richmond campaign in 1864, Custer participated in the battle at Yellow Tavern, where J.E.B. Stuart was mortally wounded. He and his men were then transferred to the Shenandoah Valley, where he played a major role in the defeat of Jubal Early’s army at Third Winchester and at Cedar Creek. As Custer's final major act in the war, he led the division responsible for cutting off Robert E. Lee’s last avenue of escape at Appomattox.
In his presentation, Colonel
Marc Thompson takes on this controversy, assessing General George Armstrong
Custer: Combat Commander and Leader. Colonel Thompson’s presentation begins
with a quick review of some of the major academic and professional military
studies on combat leadership. Drawing from these studies, Colonel Thompson has
offers an assessment methodology to evaluate combat command and leadership and
uses this methodology to evaluate Custer’s performance at brigade and division-level command during several major combat actions between 1863 to
1865.
Sources: Civil War Trust et al.
About the Speaker:
Marc Thompson
is a retired Air Force Colonel, with 28 years of service as an intelligence
officer. His assignments included: two Pentagon tours (Air Staff & Joint
Staff); two tours at Joint Combatant Command Headquarters, U.S Strategic
Command at Offutt Air Force Base and U.S. European Command at Patch Barracks,
Stuttgart, Germany; and a tour as Commander of the 692nd Information Operations
Group at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Colonel
Thompson currently works for Booz Allen Hamilton as a policy consultant to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Directorate of Operations (J-3).
Always
interested in U.S. History, Colonel Thompson’s focus was the Indian Wars,
specifically the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the career of George
Armstrong Custer. At the time of his first Pentagon tour (1984-1990), he was
still very interested in the career of Custer but, being stationed close to our
many Civil War battlefields, many on which Custer had fought, Colonel Thompson decided to
visit them. His interest in Custer has never diminished, but his interest in
the Civil War mushroomed.
Colonel
Thompson is past-president and currently a member of the Executive Board of our
fellow CWRT, Rappahannock Valley in Fredericksburg Virginia, a proud member of
the National Park Service Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program, and a volunteer tour guide at Chancellorsville Battlefield for almost 15 years.
Colonel Thompson enjoys preparing and presenting Civil War lectures to various CWRTs, and when time permits, leading Civil War Battlefield tours in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. While a student at the NATO Defense College, he had the opportunity to lead a Civil War Staff Ride of the “Gettysburg Battlefield” for over 70 NATO officers.
Colonel Thompson graduated “cum laude” from the University of Puget Sound in 1976 with a B.A. in Political Science, and a Minor in German. He received his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma.
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