Lessons From Gettysburg: Henry A. Morrow

 What’s Your Flag?

Henry A Morrow commanded the 24th Michigan of the Iron Brigade on July 1st, 1863 in its epic battle with the 26th NC in McPherson’s Woods.

He would try to pick up the fallen colors of the 24th, but soldier after soldier took the colors saying: “The colonel of the Twenty-fourth shall never carry the flag while I am alive.”

Many of these color-bearers lost their lives taking the flag from their commander. Eventually, Morrow ended up with the flag until he himself was wounded and then captured by Confederate forces. On July 4th, he escaped to publish the losses of the 24th. The 24th Michigan went into action with 496 officers and enlisted men and suffered 363 total casualties, with 69 killed, 247 wounded, and 47 missing. Twenty five of the 247 died from their wounds, making a total of 94 killed and mortally wounded. At least 10 different color-bearers fell that day. The 363 total casualties were the most numerically of any Union regiment at Gettysburg. 

As we cover in our Flying the Flag session, in Napoleonic warfare, battlefield commanders were always co-located with the flag. They moved their troops by directing movements to their color bearers. Of course, like color bearers, they were targeted by enemy forces.

Staying near the colors (mission, vision, values of our team) is both the most dangerous place and the most critical place for leaders. Great leaders recognize this and stay as close as possible to the visible symbols which represent the noble cause. Teams fall apart whenever leaders move away from places of inspiration and alignment.

I was just talking to my daughter Jessica–one of the best leaders I know–about the burden of leadership. How hard it is; how tiring it is. How tempting it is to let the “flag” just lay on the ground! 

Unfortunately, that’s not really an option.