Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg: The Battles for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field, July 2 -3, 1863

by Eric J. Wittenberg

Few aspects of the battle of Gettysburg are as misunderstood as the role played by the cavalry of both sides. Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg: The Battles for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge and East Cavalry Field, July 2-3, 1863 by award-winning author Eric J. Wittenberg is the first and only book to examine in significant detail how the mounted arm directly affected the outcome of the battle.

On July 3, 1863, a large-scale cavalry fight was waged on Cress Ridge four miles east of Gettysburg. There, on what is commonly referred to as East Cavalry Field, Union horsemen under Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg tangled with the vaunted Confederates riding with Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart. This magnificent mounted clash, however, cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of what happened the previous day at Brinkerhoff’s Ridge, where elements of Gregg’s division pinned down the legendary infantry of the Stonewall Brigade, preventing it from participating in the fighting for Culp’s Hill that raged that evening.

Stuart arrived at Gettysburg on the afternoon of July 2 after his long ride around the Army of the Potomac just in time to witness the climax of the fighting at Brinkerhoff’s Ridge, and spot good ground for mounted operations one ridge line to the east. Stuart also knew that Gregg’s troopers held the important Hanover and Low Dutch road intersection, blocking a direct route into the rear of the Union center. If Stuart could defeat Gregg’s troopers, he could dash thousands of his own men behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. The ambitious offensive thrust resulted the following day in a giant clash of horse and steel on East Cavalry Field. The combat featured artillery duels, dismounted fighting, hand-to-hand engagements, and the most magnificent mounted charge and countercharge of the entire Civil War.

This fully revised edition of Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg is the most detailed tactical treatment of the fighting on Brinkerhoff’s Ridge yet published, and includes a new Introduction, a detailed walking and driving tour with GPS coordinates, and a new appendix refuting claims that Stuart’s actions on East Cavalry Field were intended to be coordinated with the Pickett/Pettigrew/Trimble attack on the Union center on the main battlefield.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, History, American History, Nonfiction, Civil War Eastern Theater, Battle Of Gettysburg

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

Eric J. Wittenberg is an American Civil War historian, author, lecturer, tour guide and battlefield preservationist. He is a practicing attorney in downtown Columbus, Ohio. His published works have focused especially on the Civil War cavalryman and the cavalry battles of the Civil War, with emphasis on the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps

Reviews

[Josh Liller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close look at the cavalry fighting on the Union right / Confederate left during the Battle of Gettysburg. While the July 3 engagement at East Cavalry Field is somewhat well known to those familiar with Gettysburg, the Brinkerhoffs Ridge fighting the day before - though much smaller - is less well-known yet this book addresses how that impacted the battle. Be sure to get the updated 2013 edition, which among other changes adds a direct rebuttal to Lost Triumph: Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg--and Why It Failed.

Typical good work by the author, an expert on Civil War cavalry. Maps are decent, though there is definitely some room for improvement. For example, something to show Gregg's redeployment orders July 3 and Stuart's movements prior to the fighting on would be helpful.

If you enjoy Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg and One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863, you'll like this one too.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have been a number of authors who speak of Robert E. Lee's third day generalship. Including an attack on the rear of Union forces as the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge took place--dfter a massive artillery bombardment. Well, if this plan was in place it did not work. Wittenberg's book is a solid contribution here.

He directly contradicts the thesis by Carhart and others what Lee contemplated a linked offensive--artillery, infantry, and cavalry on Day # 3. In that, this is a useful book, joining the thesis of other authors.

What the book does especially well is to describe the "back and forth" battle in considerable detail. George Custer showed some courage in serving under General Gregg when he had been ordered to another position. His "Wolverines" (Michigan regiments) had a measurable impact on the battle. General Gregg had a very good day in command. The book makes that clear--with plenty of detail.

Jeb Stuart's cavalry and the Union forces fought well. By this time, Union cavalry could hold their own. Buford, on the first day of Gettysburg, demonstrated that. Just so, Gregg's forces.

Overall, a good contribution to the cavalry forces' role at Gettysburg.

[Matthew Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily considered the least visited section of the battlefield, Eric J. Wittenberg handles this area with a great amount of scholarly information and gives a narrative which is action packed from beginning to end. Though initially published by Thomas Publications in 2002, the second edition published by Savas Beatie allowed Wittenberg to add more to his work including an appendix which disproves the ideas previously about General Stuart.
Eric J. Wittenberg has written many works on the Civil War including his other work on the cavalry during the Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Action, and co-authored One Continuous Fight along with David J. Petruzzi and Michael Nugent. He has won the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award in 1998 along with the Army Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Writing Award for Reprint, 2011.
Not only does Wittenberg handle the East Cavalry Field well, but he handles the Battle for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge which is also something not talked about as much in the annals of Gettysburg. For a battle which has more than a thousand books written about it, the East Cavalry Battlefield and Brinkerhoff’s Ridge never got their due until this book was released. Upon the release of this book in 2002 under Thomas Publications, it was the only book in print which detailed the East Cavalry Field and Brinkerhoff Ridge. Now there are imitators who use this work as the backbone of their study. What is most interesting about Wittenberg’s work is the ability in which he disproves the common theory of Stuart riding around the Union lines and piercing Cemetery Ridge from behind as Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble would have hit it from the front. He states that nowhere in any of the official reports of Lee, Longstreet or Stuart does it mention that plan. It is beneficial for anyone interested to read the appendix in which he studies this more in depth than he does in the body of the work. Also, since the section of East Cavalry Battlefield is not traversed as much as the regular field, he offers an appendix which is a driving tour accompanied by pictures of some intricate monuments. The aspect of the book for which is most appreciated is the participation of General Custer, the youngest Union general at the time of the battle. History tends only to remember Custer at Little Big Horn and the disaster which happened there, but at Gettysburg, Custer shines as one of the greatest cavalry leaders in this engagement.
I cannot recommend enough this pivotal work on the Battle of Gettysburg. Though it had been released in its first edition in 2002, Wittenberg and Savas Beatie has released a work which has been expanded and is easily accessible for the readers more interested in this area of battle. The method in which he disproves the “planned” use of Stuart during the battle fills the holes in the study which never had many legs to stand on. Thankfully, he ended the debate about what had happened with Stuart on the day of the third and historians can now look differently at the tactics being used that day. Wittenberg has proven that there is always more to write about Gettysburg and that the subject never dulls even one hundred and fifty years after the event.

Matthew Bartlett - Author, The Gettysburg Chronicle

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't live far away from Gettysburg, so I visit several times a year. I'd like to live there and be a licensed battlefield guide, which I am currently preparing for the exam. Part of the exam covers the cavalry at Gettysburg. As for the cavalry's role in the Battle of Gettysburg, Buford's role on July 1st and Jeb Stuart's absence are discussed, but other cavalry actions get no attention. I went to East Cavalry Field once and you can see very few people go there. In fact, the park service does not have too many programs there.

Reading Eric Wittenberg's book was informative. I learned new information about the cavalry's actions on July 2nd and 3rd. David Gregg and the cavalry played a huge role in the Union victory at Gettysburg. If they had not held Hanover Road and the Union right, there could have been serious havoc on that side if the Confederates had attacked there without Gregg and his men successful defense. Joshua Chamberlain gets far too much credit for his victory av Gettysburg. Not taking away his actions and valor of him nor his men, but others like 1st Minnesota, Patrick O'Rorke, Willard's Brigade, George Greene, David Ireland (who was more isolated than Chamberlain and had greater odds to overcome) and others deserve recognition. Now I can add David Gregg and his men to that list as well. Great book! I also recommend Wittenberg's Buford book.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent description of little-covered battles on day 2 & day 3 during the battle at Gettysburg, with the majority of the action fought by cavalry and horse artillery just east of town. I enjoyed most the many personal recollections from the combatants. Mr. Wittenberg has done a fantastic job researching and writing of these events.

[Lorena A. Boylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

Well written and meticulously footnoted, Eric Wittenberg has provided a short, concise work on a too often overlooked aspect of Gettysburg. In this specific case, a larger perspective of the entire three day battle at Gettysburg is revealed. Excellent work, Mr. Wittenberg, excellent work!

[Ron Roberts]

Well researched and written history of two of Gettysburg's least well known and rarely visited parts of the battlefield. This book fills in the gaps quite nicely.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the Cavalry actions at Gettysburg. Eric is the authority on all Cavalry actions in the Civil War

[David Runyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent treatment of a lesser-known portion of the Battle of Gettysburg. (It’s not in the movie, so it didn’t happen….)

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I generally thought that the book was well written and informative. I recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about the awesome east cavalry field fight.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you have an interest in the USA's Civil War? Then, read further.

Do you have an interest in the battles that determined the outcome of the Civil War? Then, read further.

Do you have and interest/knowledge in the Battle of Gettysburg? Then, read further.

Eric Wittenberg has written a classic for those who want to know more about the battle that many historians deem the turning point for the Union in the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought over 3 days in early July 1863. Most of the descriptions we have read assign the cavalry to a supporting or tangential role. That may not be a valid conclusion.

Wittenberg isn't writing for the masses. Unlike, a Bernard Cornwell, he doesn't heighten the drama by creating a persona to focus the feelings experienced during the tides of battle. He presents a thoroughly researched account of the encounters that led to the battles at Brinkerhoffs Ridge and East Cavalry field. He presents, quite artfully, a wide-ranging series of first-person accounts from those involved in those days of bloody encounters. The book is lavish in its use of photos of the principal combatants and maps showing the changing position of key troops of the Blue and the Gray.

Many books and lectures have focused on Robert E. Lee's anxiety over the arrival of his cavalry under General Stuart; Longstreet's exhortations to General Lee; Lee's decision to have Pickett's charge; and, the subsequent retreat of Lee's army. Wittenberg makes a strong case for how Stuart was almost successful in using Pickett's charge to create an opportunity for the Confederate cavalry to outflank the Union forces and capture their munition supplies and attack them from the rear. If this had been successful there would likely have been a quite different outcome.

Given my preamble, you will understand that, while this is a lively narrative of this series of events, it is unlikely to capture the interest of anyone who isn't already familiar with the elements of this epic battle. If, for instance, you have read Shaara's The Killer Angels, you will find that Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg fills in some the gaps in Shaara's presentation, as well as providing us with more personalities worthy of attention. This is a book of barely 200 pages that deserves a place on the shelf of anyone interest in how close the Confederacy came to winning at Gettysburg and what officers and men were willing to risk personally in its outcome.

PS: Let me throw in an example of the original source material that Wittenberg uses: "Captain James H. Kidd...noted there was no misttake about the Federal cavalry's presence in the right place at the right time that day. 'It was Gregg's prescience....He saw the risk of attempting to guard the right flank with only the two decimated brigades of his own division. If Custer's presence on the field was, as often has been said, providential, it is General D. M. Gregg to whom, under Providence, the credit for bringing him was due...in which the different commands were maneuvered with the same sagacity displayed by a skillful chess player...who from the time he turned Custer to the northward...made not a single false move; who was distinguished not less for his intuitive foresight than for his quick perceptions at critical moments. That man was General David McMurtrie Gregg.'"

[Shelly♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Civil War and it's military actions are multi layer puzzles of detail which is buried in official reports, memoirs and letters of those who experienced. The Battle of Gettysburg, one of the most, dissected and written about battles has several components which seem to get less attention or passed off as all but insignificant. Wittenberg seems to tackle a variety of these actions in his writings. Here he gives a detailed rundown of the confrontations between Stuart and Gregg on Brinkerhoff's Ridge and in East Cavalry field. Wittenberg uses the words of the men to help tell the story that day, to show the bravery, guts and fortitude of these horse soldiers and the also the greater implication that these conflicts had for the outcome of the battle. He caps off the book with a detailed driving tour of the area, so readers can take themselves to the terrain and understand the field. Highly recommend for students of the battle.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cavalry acions at Gettysburg have generally gotten short shrift and this book does a very fine job of explaining their critical importance in the final Union victory and how had things gone differently, the Union might very well have suffered yet another horrible loss, possibly a fatal one. The actions of the Union cavalry commander Gregg placed his forces exactly at the right spot and the right time to blunt Jeb Stewart's attempt to flank the Union lines and attack the rear. Many of the officers and troops in the Union forces come in for much merited notice, including of course the boy general Custer, who had a very good day indeed. A quick and exciting read with lots of information, well worth anyone's effort.

[Joe Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding history of the cavalry clashes between the Union and Confederate cavalry regiments on July 3, 1863. These clashes prevented the Confederate Regiments under Major General J E B Stuart from destroying the Army of the Potomac's rear flanks. The bravery of the regiments both Union and Confederate was amazing, and in particular the leadership of Union Generals Gregg and Custer made the difference in countering the strategy of General Stuart and his commanders. A great history and read by Eric Wittenberg that is highly recommended!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book as a guide for touring the Brinkerhoffs Battlefield.