Background
The establishment of the planned community at Mitchelville on Hilton Head
Island marked the first true attempt to effect African-American self-governance and
self-sustenance in the history of the United States. Unlike other so-called “contraband
camps” in areas liberated by Union armies in the South from Confederate control,
Mitchelville was founded as a community of African-American freedmen with a charter
and constitution specifically detailing roles, responsibilities, and the purpose
for each branch of self-government, along with guidelines for districts of residence,
representative Council seats, and key positions of authority in the governance structure.
Prior attempts to set precedents for African-American freedmen’s self-determination
in the South had met with well-meant but ill-served efforts. Many of the issues
and challenges encountered elsewhere previously were known to General Ormsby Mitchel
when he arrived on Hilton Head as the new commander of the Department of the South.
Quickly recognizing the unique problems a newly free populace in close proximity
posed to his rapidly expanding military establishment, and conscious of many of the
cultural needs of the indigenous people, Mitchel described his vision of a village
with neatly-arranged, named streets, guidelines regulating community behavior and
sanitation, the presence of churches (or worship houses, as they were called), and
a compulsory education for children aged 6-15 – very likely the first such requirement
of its kind in the South. Despite succumbing to malaria within four months of his
arrival, Mitchel’s vision and disciplined and thoughtful planning resulted in the
dedication of the village, named in his honor, later in 1862.
The Leadership Experience
The program will be conducted on and around the headland of Fish Haul Creek and the
site of the original settlement of Mitchelville, on land which was part of the ante-bellum
Drayton Plantation from which the initial residents of Mitchelville came. Case studies
will focus on the leadership roles of General Ormsby Mitchel, General David Hunter,
Mitchel’s replacement as Commander of the Department of the South, President Abraham
Lincoln (given the part played by the evolution of African-American freedom in the
so-called Port Royal Experiment in Lincoln’s planning for issuing the Emancipation
Proclamation), and ex-slave Reverend Abraham Murchison, first elected Supervisor
of Mitchelville.
Among the leadership practices explored will be:
Employing situational awareness in setting direction and delegating authority
Taking initiative and innovating in uncertain circumstances and situations
Exercising authority autonomously/locally in a contextual framework defined on
a higher/ global basis
Setting clear standards and expectations in departing from past practices and points
of reference
Empowering and engaging reluctant associates in a new direction associated with
risk and unknown
Role modeling and exemplifying desired standards of behavior before they are recognized
as a norm
A minimum of one-half day must be allotted to the program, and arrangements can be
made to provide mid-session refreshments at the site.
