Words to live by? Bragg and his cohort Major General Edmund Kirby Smith just didn’t coordinate well, failing to marshal their troops toward a single objective and exposing Bragg to defeat. On the other side of the line were the troops of Buell, a leader who said, “My studies have taught me that battles are only to be fought for some important object…that if the result is reasonably uncertain, battle is only to be sought when very serious disadvantage must result from a failure to fight or when the advantages of a possible victory far outweigh the consequences of probable defeat. These rules suppose that war has a higher object than that of mere bloodshed.”**
Have you noticed that in today’s many social media wars, the primary motive is to draw blood? But in “drawing blood” as a purpose, the attackers forego their own security and leave themselves open to devastating counter attacks. And in the loose alliances found in cyberspace, there are many supposedly on the “same side” that strike off in their own directions, ultimately dismantling the unity that they originally shared.
Observe the next battle in social media with an eye on those principles of war: unity of effort, objective, and security. When weapons are insults shot from behind some distant rampart and when those insults are fired randomly just “to draw blood,” there’s little chance that a larger objective is reachable, particularly if that larger objective is to conquer the thoughts of the opposition.
If you choose to be a general (or even a soldier) in some war, consider Buell’s take on battles. But Buell had his own weakness. Having won the battle at Perryville, he failed—as McClellan had failed in the East—to pursue the defeated Bragg as he withdrew, losing the opportunity to fully decimate his opponent by pursuing the retreating army. Although he won Kentucky, Buell lost his job as Lincoln replaced him with Major General William Rosecrans. Apparently, Buell failed to remember his lessons because he sought to keep his forces secure after Bragg’s defeat.
When we join any group with an agenda, we face the issues of unity of effort, objective, and security. And that’s why we usually adhere to the guidance of some kind of leader, such as a manager—or a general. But in the absence of a clearly defined authority to whom an unquestioning army responds in unison, the war effort falls apart as individual soldiers wander off to ravage the countryside just for the sake of bloodshed.
*Dougherty, Kevin J. Great Commanders of the Civil War. London. Amber Books LTD, 2017, p 116.
**p. 115.