Welcome & Announcements

Opening Illustration: Importance of Retreat in the Battle of Gettysburg

DAY 1: A time to hold your ground and a time to retreat

• Union Cavalry General Buford does both, fighting desperately to hold good ground for the infantry that hasn’t yet made it to the battlefield

• Deploys dismounted cavalry along Seminary Ridge to slow the Confederate Army’s advance onto the field

• Pulls back that night to a better defensive position on Cemetery Ridge

DAY 2: A time to stubbornly hold your ground

• Union Colonel Chamberlain defending Little Round Top against flanking maneuvers of the Confederate Army

• Out of ammunition but unable to retreat, he leads a victorious bayonet charge

Day 3: A time to retreat

• Confederate General Robert E. Lee refuses to retreat from the battlefield

• Ordering a deadly attack against the middle of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge

• Results in the death, injury, or capture of thousands of his men

• Ultimately leads to the loss of the war

Overview of Weekend

Scripture: Ecclesiastes

Retreat Sessions:

• Session 1 Higher Ground

• Session 2 Regroup the Troops

• Session 3 Reestablish the Supply Line