The primary mission of the BMI is two-fold due to that fact that Civil War “reenacting” can be uniquely divided into two subsections; living history encampments and battle reenactments. The philosophy of the Gettysburg Guard is that neither of these subsections are more important than the other, therefore, both aspects will be treated equally and receive an equal amount of attention to detail.
With living history encampments, the BMI aims to interact with and educate not only the general public but other historians about the historical version of the BMI that was established in 1863 and served the Army of the Potomac through the end of the war.
At battle reenactments, the BMI’s focus is to provide Federal Command Staff with an immersive experience pertaining to intelligence preparation of the battlefield by providing topographical maps of the event area, engaging in real-time scouting and reconnaissance operations, and to provide intelligence pertaining to troop movements, disposition and unit identification during scenarios.
Additionally, at both living history encampments and battle reenactments, the BMI will be proactive from both a training and employment standpoint, essentially acting as subject matter experts with the proper employment of pickets and videttes, Provost duties and proper fieldcraft techniques. Accurate employment of proper scouting and reconnaissance techniques along with the deployment of skirmishers are often over-looked aspects of living history.
The original Bureau of Military Information was created to replace the previous intelligence gathering arm of the Army of the Potomac, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, which in hindsight failed the Federal war effort prior to 1863. When Major General Hooker took command of the Army of the Potomac, he needed a streamlined source of intelligence gathering that encompassed both human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) utilizing both overt and covert practices.
For this task, Hooker tapped Colonel George Sharpe of the 120th New York Volunteer Infantry, a practicing attorney before the war and an 1847 graduate of Rutgers University. Colonel Sharpe created the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that would come to be known as “all source intelligence.” Through the use of both civilian and military scouts (recruited from both the Cavalry branch and Infantry branch), combined with Signal Corps intercepts from the cracked Confederate Signal Corps algorithm, intercepted telegraph transmissions, open source newspaper reporting and the use of an elaborate clandestine spy ring deep in the heart of the South, Colonel Sharpe assisted Army commanders with making informed decisions throughout the campaign seasons by performing an all encompassing intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB).
This intelligence gathering would continue real time as combat unfolded through on-field debriefings of Confederate prisoners and deserters; the birth of “tactical questioning” of enemy combatants.
With the BMI attached to Army Headquarters, and all sources of intelligence flowing through the central BMI location, the BMI effectively turned the tide of the war.
The overarching goal of the Gettysburg Guard is to portray the United States Army as accurately as possible for the time period of 1861 through 1865, this applies to both the Honor Guard and the BMI. Authenticity not only applies to camp but also the field. As established in the authenticity guidelines, members of the Gettysburg Guard should attempt to avoid “mainstream” articles for their impression whenever possible. While this organization is not the stereo-typical “stitch counting” campaigner-only focused organization, period correct equipment is paramount to organizational success as the organization will always first be judged on it’s outward appearance.
Modern conveniences and amenities are not prohibited; however, they should be concealed from external view during normal operational hours unless it is a medical necessity. Cell phone use should be kept out of the “public eye” unless an emergency exists.
Both the Honor Guard and the BMI represent a historical military organization, meaning structure and discipline should be adhered to at all times and whenever possible. Camp and Headquarters should remain orderly and functional, and field equipment should remain well kept and serviceable. For uniformed military members under arms, you are representing a uniformed soldier that relied on his or her weapon system as a source of survival, meaning it is essentially the most important piece of your “kit” and should be treated as such.
The BMI is a fully functioning and active organization that will have key operational windows during events. It is the expectation that all will participate in these identified event windows or are on-hand to support the personnel that are operational during these event windows. This may include but is not limited to public demonstrations, drill, live intelligence operations and battle scenarios.
For uniformed military personnel participating in scouting and reconnaissance operations, you will need to be physically prepared to carry out these operations. We expect our reconnaissance parties will cover more ground than typical participants at events and may be operational for longer durations of time than typical participants.
Are you looking for a unique reenacting / living history experience? Don't hesitate, we have room for you. Contact us and join this unique organization!
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