7th Graders Welcome Evan Corns, Historian

The entire 7th grade class was treated to a preview of Gettysburg just days prior to their visit to the battlefields with a visit from Mr. Evan Corns, grandfather of Evan Hill `15. Introduced by Evan as "a successful businessman and great historian," Mr. Corns, who received his M.A. in American History from UNC Chapel Hill, spoke with students about days one, two and three of the battle at Gettysburg, focusing on three great men from both the blue and the gray armies, whom he referred to as the "A,B, C`s of Gettysburg": Armistead, Buford, and Chamberlain. Corns` fascination with the Civil War began when he was in the sixth grade, and he anticipates that a percentage of Hawken`s seventh grade class will be bit by the same bug. Years ago as a schoolboy studying Pickett`s charge, he was baffled by the fact that two-thirds of the 15,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. After class that day, he asked his teacher why they would do that when the odds were stacked so heavily against them. She replied simply, "Because they believed in their leader." That exchange had a profound impact on Mr. Corns` life, to the extent that he incorporated much of what he has learned from Gettysburg into his business practices. He has even taken his employees on retreats to the battlefield to share his passion and his guiding principles. So what can we learn from the Gettysburg A,B, C`s - and how are those lessons applicable to today`s world? A lot, says Corns. The first is a lesson in expectations. General Lewis Armistead said to a British observer before Pickett`s assault, "They will make this charge today even without an officer to lead them because they know what is expected of them." This statement has universal relevance today. "All relationships are based on expectations," Corns told the students, noting that coaches, teachers, parents, friends, and they themselves all have expectations of them; he added that it`s important to be clear about what and how reasonable those expectations are. The second lesson comes from General John Buford. Buford, Corns explained, learned an important lesson after the battle at Fredericksburg: If I`m going to fight, I`m going to hold the high ground. Which is exactly what he did at Gettysburg. General Joshua Chamberlain teaches us yet another important lesson that applies to life and business. Unlike most other generals who were trained in military science at West Point, Chamberlain studied rhetoric and logic at Bowdoin. On the second day of the battle at Little Round Top, he was given only one directive. "You are at the end of the Union line; you have to hold this position." His men held the position through eight consecutive attacks; by the ninth attack they were out of ammunition. So Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge, thereby disrupting the southern advance. The lesson? Try thinking outside the box - something that`s not in the textbook that perhaps no one else would have considered doing. Corn touched on other lessons from the Civil War that have great relevance today as well. Lee`s commitment to the word "duty," which the general called "the most sublime word in the language," for example. Mr. Corn suggested that students ask themselves this question at the end of every day: Did I fulfill my duty? At the end of his time with the seventh grade, Mr. Corns shared a story about a southern cavalry officer in Texas at the end of the war, who said to his men, "We`re the last of us; let us be the best as well." There`s no mistaking the lesson there, or its relevance to both character and best business practices: Be the best. Mr. Corns not only inspired in the students great excitement about Monday`s visit to the battlefields of Gettysburg, he convinced them that history is indeed not a dead subject - and has great power to inform our present and future lives.