I have been to the Gettysburg battlefield on several occasions, even leading a battlefield walk. Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War. It was the first major defeat of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and, for the second time, thwarted his attempt to invade and successfully launch an assault against Washington, D.C., from the north. The previous summer his endeavor ended in a stalemate at the Battle of Antietam. The victory at Gettysburg was secured by the efforts of Union cavalry commander Brigadier General John Buford Jr. Buford did exactly what a cavalry commander is supposed to do: find the enemy, gain and maintain contact, and secure the main assault force.

When Buford’s Union cavalry spotted the lead elements of the Confederate army coming north along the Chambersburg Pike to Gettysburg, he took decisive action. Buford played the ensuing battle out in his head and recognized the importance of securing the high ground of Cemetery Ridge. Buford positioned his cavalry to fight a delaying action meant to keep Lee from claiming the strategically vital ground, which he did, just in time for the lead elements of the Army of the Potomac to arrive. Buford was not focused on his immediate engagement with the Confederate army. He was focused on the battle to come, which over the three-day period yielded a decisive victory and certainly preserved the American Union.

So, what does this have to do with the title of this missive? Well, the Union victory at........

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