Here is a powerpoint presentation that I recently did for my Basic Officer Leaders Course III at Ft. Bliss, TX for Air Defense Artillery. It did not have to be an ADA battle, but the idea was to discuss pertinent effects of the battle and how they would apply to battle today. It had to be an a unit size that close enough to relate to what a 2LT would be expected to be able to control. So our instructor said we needed to study to a regiment size element of the battle or smaller. So I thought, what regiment do I know better than the 8th MO CAV REG?! So I focused on the 8th MO at the
Battle of Poison Spring on 18 April 1864. They were a part of the charge of Missourians formed under COL Colton Greene that day who busted the center of the Federal lines. Once the Missouri CAV units of the 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th MO (Co. B only of the 8th - the other companies were down in Louisiana with MG Kirby Smith) went in, the battle fully turned into a rout.
Well, here is my slide show...it tells the story well enough. But there are several bullet points later in the show where I simply talked on the point. So you'll have to do without my description of say, how agility was displayed during the battle from a leadership perspective. If you wish to know more, feel free to contact me and I'll go in more detail. I very much enjoyed going over the tactics of this battle as it is one of my favorite things to do...to discuss tactics and decisions made and 'what if' this decision would have been made', etc...
18 comments:
Great job, sweetie!!! I'm sure you did a FANTASTIC job on your presentation :) You always do!
Great job Brent. I enjoyed the way you used actual pictures and drawings to bring the report to life. Your battle diagrams were well conceived and illustrated why the battle developed as it did. Would have loved to hear your presentation. I know that it was a very professional, well done explanation of the Battle of Poison Springs, because your posting on line was impressive. Great job!
Dad
Babygirl, thanks for the nice words...I appreciate all your support so I could do it...love you!
Dad, I'm glad you liked the slide show. I tried to actually put just the powerpoint in their, but blogger doesn't support that format, so I figured out a way to save each slide as a .png file and then I had to post each one individually. I really enjoyed doing the presentation. My grader said it was outstanding. He said it seemed like I could have talked all afternoon about the battle because I knew so much about it. I told him I could have easily talked another hour or so about the expedition! Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed the post!
This battle was particularly great to study because with just Co. B of the 8th MO CAV being there that day and them making a breach with the rest of the MO CAV there that turned the battle into a rout- surely Grandpap Lewis was key in that engagement that day. And really on this Camden Expedition, the 8th MO played important roles in turning Steele's Frontier Army back into its resting spot in Little Rock, thus really dooming the whole Red River Expedition to defeat.
Hi Brent,
Enjoyed viewing your posting. Thought it was outstanding, as usual, and not just because I am a proud dad. You illustrate Army training well as you outlined, illustrated and presented your analysis. I can not think of anything that could have improved your presentation. Bet the other guys were envious of your program, and that they recognized your love for the Army and your country as well as your family heritage.
Dad
Thanks again, Dad. I didn't get to present to but about maybe 10 people. The class was split into 3 groups. I wanted to do it for everyone, but such it goes. Those who saw it said they liked it. I also was asked to help a classmate who failed the project the first time around by our instructor because of how I did on the project. He got full points the next time around. Presentations are something I can do pretty well...lots of practice presenting ideas in front of people.
Well done indeed. I did not know about that battle/expedition at all.I knew that Missouri played key roles for the South and all, but that was awesome. Did your instructor or classmates know it was you in some of the slides? Sweet all the same. Great job.
Lewis
Hi Brent,
Wow, I am totally impressed! That was a tremendous slide presentation! Wish I could have heard and seen you as you presented it to your group. Very well done! Using your art work, and pictures of your activity with your "pards" was sheer inspiration! I really enjoyed the knowledge expressed and the historical presentation as well as the military application too.
Dad
Thanks again for the thoughts and comments, Dad. I enjoyed talking through the battle with you the other day!
Lewis...I didn't see your post...glad you liked it and learned something about Missouri in the War. Missouri was very active in the Civil War, not just in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, but also the Western Theater (Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama particularly). They were prominently active at Vicksburg. And of course, there was quite a MO Federal troops as well. If my classmates noticed me in the slide show, they didn't say anything. But most know I'm a Civil War buff and do reenacting. Most just don't care enough about it to comment.
hey brent
great slides you did really a great job
greetz
Major John Fowler (Belgium)
Major John....glad you enjoyed the slide show. I hope you gained a little more insight on the 8th MO CAV.
Brent,
Great job on this presentation. It's obvious that you put a great deal of work into that presentation. I really enjoyed seeing your image on the horse at the end of the presentation. I've put a link from our website (tar heel mess) to yours.
Bill
Brent,
Extremely well researched and written. I would like to know if you have any more information on Co D 8th Mo CSA Regt. My great great grandfather was a corporal in Co D under Sgt John Adams. Cpl Cicero A. Howard was killed in one of the battles (trying to find out where and when). His widow married Sgt Adams who raised my great grandmother (Ivy Howard). Thanks and Semper Fi,
Col Steve Robb USMC (Ret)
scrobb@aol.com
Bill...glad you liked it. Sorry it took me so long to respond...email funny. I'll have to go check out your website of your 'mess'. Best Wishes and Merry Christmas!
OL Robb
Thanks for the comment...glad you liked the post.
I don't have any further record on CPL Cicero A Howard, Co. D other than this from James McGhee's book 'Campaigning With Marmaduke: Narratives and Roster Of The 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, CSA"
Howard, Cicero A.: Age 31. Enlisted as Private in Co D 22 SEP 1862 in Cape Girardeau County. Present APR 1863. (No Further Record)
I know we have Howard lines in our family history. I'll forward this to my father, Paul Harty Jr...he well may know more. Might be a cousin of ours. Many of the men of the 8th MO CAV were related in one form or another as they all came from the same counties....
There are 3 other Howards listed in the book:
* George W. Age 26 - Co F 27 SEP 1862 (Cape Girardeau)...same info as Cicero otherwise
* James M. Age 34 (part of Missouri State Guard). Enlisted PVT 22 SEP 1862 Co. D at Cape Girardeau. Deserted while on sick furlough 1 JAN 1863, White's Barracks, Pocahontas, AR. No Further Record
* Uriah M. Age 33. Enlisted as Private in Co D 22 SEP 1862 in Cape Girardeau County. Appointed 2nd CPL 7 DEC 1862. Died of cause not of record 18 APR 1863 in Lawrence Co., AR.
Pocahontas, AR is between Jonesboro, AR and Doniphan, MO...just a bit west of the Bootheel. A lot of the 8th MO died at the hospital they had at that time Winter/Spring 1863. On my blog there is the battle Chronology of the 8th. I'll give you all the 1863 campaigns, which should narrow your search. I'd guess he passed away sometime in 1863...
* Chalk Bluff, AR - 09-11 APR 1863
* Marmaduke's 2nd Raid into MO - 21 APR - 2 MAY (Cape Girardeau and Chalk Bluff again)
* Taylor's Creek, AR - 11 MAY 1863
* L'Anguille Bridge, AR - 13 MAY 1863
* Helena, AR - 4 JUL 1863
* Little Rock, AR operations - 1 AUG to 14 SEP 1863
* Pine Bluff, AR - 25 OCT 1863
This was not a good year for the 8th MO...lots of repulses and hard fought battles, but little victory. I hope that helps in your search...wish I knew more. Feel free to scour my blog site. Over the past few years, I've compiled much of what I know of the 8th MO. Check out James McGhee's books. He just released another one on all the CSA units from MO. Jim is from Stoddard County like my dad. I was born in Cape Girardeau, but have long since moved from the area unfortunately.
Best wishes in your search and Merry Christmas!
Oops...please excuse me COL Robb. In the last comment in response to your post, I did not mean for it to say 'OL Robb'...a posting error that I cannot seem to rectify...sorry!
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