JIM ANDERSON
presents
About the Topic:
The Battle of Ball’s Bluff was a simple accident that resulted from a faulty report provided by an inexperienced officer who led a reconnaissance patrol and thought he saw something that was not there. By later Civil War battle standards, it was a very minor affair, soon to be overshadowed by larger, bloodier battles. In late1861, however, it mattered for a number of reasons, which Jim Anderson will explore during his presentation.
About the Speaker:
Jim Anderson holds history degrees from Rhodes College (BA) and the University of Memphis (MA). He also has done post-graduate work at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Virginia.
After college, Jim served for 3 years in the Air Force as Chief of Air Intelligence Operations for a squadron of F-111D fighter-bombers. Upon leaving the service, he was “recruited” by the CIA, where he spent the next 27 years. His career included a variety of operational and management positions; and six overseas duty tours in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jim's interest in the Civil War grew out of his experiences growing up on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, and it was enhanced by his discovery that some of his ancestors wore “blue” and others wore the “gray.”
After retiring from the CIA Senior Intelligence Service in 2005, Jim started his own leadership training business. He has conducted over 200 seminars for corporate and government management teams, which featured day-long tours of Civil War battlefields as part of the curriculum.
In retirement, Jim teaches classes and leads tours focusing on the Civil War and the American Frontier at the George Mason University Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (GW/OLLI). He also leads church group tours to Israel and Palestine, and he volunteers with local youth and non-profit organizations.
Jim is a member and past Board Chairman of the Friends of Ball’s Bluff Battlefield, and he belongs to the Loudoun Country Civil War Roundtable and the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association.
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