GDG- war councils

[Tom Ryan]

<< I don't entirely disagree with your synopsis of the councils held by McClellan and Meade. If you hadn't used the word "deferred" as appllied to Meade's July 2 council, I would have read it and been in complete agreement. Perhaps it is just semantics. 
  To me, it implys Meade either had no position or he changed it after hearing his commander's thoughts. As I said earlier, I think July 2 was a case of Meade confirming a position he already held. I think he knew, in any case, that he could no more disengage with Lee than Lee could disengage with him.
  As far as the councils of July 4 and July 12, I'm  not comfortable enough with all the circumstances to have an opinion. On those dates I will happily defer to you :)>>

Rich, 

	However we characterize what actually happened as a result of the July 2 meeting, the question I raised about how Meade would have reacted had a majority of his commanders voted to withdraw from Cemetery Ridge still has to be answered.  How Meade made his decisions in the July 4 and 12 meetings is the only clue available.  In both of those meetings he went along, or "deferred' if you will, to the majority opinion.

	That is the only point I was trying to make, i.e., that commanders should preferably not employ that method of decision making.

Regards, Tom