The fight for the Wheatfield at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, has long been one of the most confusing and misunderstood engagements of that famous battle until now. GettysburgOCOs Bloody Wheatfield provides readers with a blow-by-blow description of the fight where one out of every three soldiers was a casualty."
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The fight for the Wheatfield at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, has long been one of the most confusing and misunderstood engagements of that famous battle until now. GettysburgOCOs Bloody Wheatfield provides readers with a blow-by-blow description of the fight where one out of every three soldiers was a casualty."
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Add this copy of Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield to cart. $5.02, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by White Mane Pub.
Add this copy of Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield to cart. $8.83, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by White Mane Pub.
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Add this copy of Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield to cart. $15.00, very good condition, Sold by Browse Awhile Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tipp City, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by White Mane Books.
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Add this copy of Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield to cart. $31.49, very good condition, Sold by Firefly Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Kutztown, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by White Mane Pub.
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Used Very Good in Very Good jacket. Dust Jacket is clean and intact, with minor edge and corner wear. Dust Jacket is wrapped in mylar Brodart covering, which is removable. Front and back covers have very light edge and corner wear. Spine intact with no creasing or warping. Binding is tight and intact, pages clean and unmarked. Firefly Bookstore sells items online and in our store front. We try to add images and descriptions when we can, but if you need additional information or photos of the books we list, please contact us.
Add this copy of Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield to cart. $59.95, very good condition, Sold by Broad Street Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Branchville, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by White Mane Pub.
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Very Good. Size: 5x1x8; Signed and inscribed by author on first page. Also signed on front of dust jacket and signed/inscribed inside cover by artist Paul R. Martin. Hardcover with dust jacket. Book is in very nice condition, text is unmarked and pages are tight.
Every year from July 1 -- July 3, the National Park Service sponsors a series of anniversary battle walks at Gettysburg offering the opportunity to explore various aspects of the battle in depth and to tramp through the fields in which it was fought. This year, (2004) I had the good fortune to attend the 141st anniversary battle walks. On the hot, humid morning of July 2, 2004, together with my companion and about 200 other people fascinated by the Battle of Gettysburg, I walked through the tall grass of the 20 acre Wheatfield, stood in line formation on the ridge cutting through the middle of the Wheatfield, climbed up and down Stony Hill, and stood at the stone walls separating the east and southeast portions of the Wheatfield from Rose's woods. Throughgout the walk, I had the benefit of an enthusiastic and informed presentation by Gettysburg Park Ranger Eric Campbell and the opportunity for fellowship and reflection. The battle walk gave me the opportunity to know the Wheatfield first-hand.
The battle walk also inspired me to read Jay Joregenson's recent book "Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield" which is devoted solely to an examination of events in this portion of the Battle of Gettysburg. As are many who write about the Civil War, Jorgenson is an amateur historian. His professional training and real-life job is as an attorney. The book gets off to a bit of a slow start. But after Jorgenson sets the stage, discusses the key actors, and explains how the troops found themselves fighting over the Wheatfield in the first place, the book picks up in power. In succinct, spare and clear prose, Joregenson describes in detail the events of this confusing and almost rudderless fighting. His account helped me reinforce and understand what I had seen for myself in the Wheatfield earlier in the year. It is a worthy telling of the story.
By way of brief summary, the action at the Wheatfield occurred during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg on the Union left -- Confederate right. It was part of Confederate General Longstreet's furious attack on the Union position which commenced, after delay, at about 4:00 p.m. Just before the assault, Union Third Corps General Dan Sickles had ignored orders from the Union Commander, George Meade, and moved his troops forward about 3/4 of a mile to occupy a position which included, loosely held, the Wheatfield.
Longstreet's troops assaulted the position from three sides. Sickle's soldiers were reinforced by troops from the Union Fifth and Second Corps. Due to the improvisatory, unplanned nature of the fighting and the several different units involved there was little clear leadership of the fighting forces for either the Union or the Confederate troops. The battle seesawed back and forth for hours with great loss over the open plain of the Wheatfield and on the adjacent Stony Hill. Finally, the Confederates were able to surround the position on three sides and force the Union troops back to the area of Little Round Top. But this famous hill had been secured for the Union and the Confederates could make no further headway.
The fight for the Wheatfield was highly confusing and the casualties and carnage were appalling. The Wheatfield was called "the Whirlpool" by the troops who fought over it. Put another way, there were many other wheatfields which saw sustained combat, even at Gettysburg, and certainly throughout the Civil War. But there is only one Wheatfield, and it was fought over desperately on the afternoon of July 2, 1863.
The best way to understand the action at the Wheatfield is to visit the site. For those that have done so, and for those that lack this opportunity, Jorgenson admirably tells its story and the story of the brave soldiers who fought there.
