NF Staff Ride Guides

Non-Fiction

Mike Serpa

Major
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
"The U.S. Army Center of Military History develops and leads staff rides for U.S. Army groups (with priority going to the HQDA staff). We also support other official government agencies and departments including the Department of Defense, U.S. Congress, Air Force, Navy, and Marines, as well as official international visitors and guests of the United States government. Staff rides represent a unique and persuasive method of conveying the lessons of the past to the present-day Army leadership for current application."

"In the summer of 1906, the assistant commandant of the General Service and Staff School, Maj. Eben Swift, and twelve officer-students at Fort Leaven- worth boarded a train for Georgia. So began the first "staff ride" for instructors and students at what is now the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. For five years the staff ride was an important part of the Leavenworth curriculum."

Several staff ride guide books are at the link: Antietam, Ball's Bluff, First Bull Run, Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness-Spotsylvania.
Here is the contents page for Gettysburg
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I highly recommend that any serious student of the Battle of Shiloh read the The Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Shiloh, 6-7 April 1862
Regards
Davids
It "provides a systematic approach to the analysis of this early battle in the western theater of the American Civil War. Part I describes the organization of both armies, detailing their weapons, tactics, logistics, engineering, communications, and medical support. Part II consists of a campaign overview that allows students to understand how the armies met on the battlefield. Part III is a suggested route for conducting a staff ride at Shiloh. For each stop, or “stand,” there is a set of travel directions, a description of the action that occurred there, vignettes by battle participants, a list of discussion or teaching point"

 
I highly recommend that any serious student of the Battle of Shiloh read the The Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Shiloh, 6-7 April 1862
Regards
Davids
The Staff Ride Handbook for Shiloh is the best one I’ve found. The station by station breakdown of the battle, which includes stories from the participants, is extremely well done. Best of all, it’s free. Just Google it and you can print a copy.

Now I just need to get down there to walk the field.......
 
Question, what is the name for this book and can you get it at Amazon?
It is: Staff Ride Handbook for the Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863. Amazon does list it and if they don't have it, it may be available from the Combat Studies Institute Press in Fort Levenworth, Kansas.
 
CMH Staff Rides | U.S. Army Center of Military History

There is also a general guideline instructions for developing your own staff ride. I had never heard of a staff ride or been involved. Then a few years ago, a retired Lt-Colonel organized a staff ride for ROTC Cadets for the battle here in Collierville. He enlisted the help of me and more importantly his active-duty son, also a Light Colonel.
I would like to do more of these.
 
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