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Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield
"Some of the deadliest fighting of the Battle of Gettysburg took place in the now famous Wheatfield. Confederate General Robert E. Lee sought to defeat Union General George G. Meade's army on Northern soil, as the battle between the North and South raged. Lee's soldiers in James Longstreet's First Corps attacked Federal soldiers from Daniel Sickles' III Corps. For over three hours, six Confederate brigades attacked and counterattacked 13 Union brigades from four different Federal corps. Several generals were mortally wounded, and the fighting bogged down into a regiment-by-regiment, man-to-man engagement. When the smoke cleared and the fighting ceased on the evening of July 2, 1863, the 26 acres of wheat owned by George Rose had been destroyed, with the dead and wounded strewn all about." Neither side gained control of the ground, but many men gave their lives trying. The action has long been overlooked by in-depth analysis, in large part due to the confusing nature of the fighting. Jorgensen sifts through the smoke and haze and provides readers with a much-needed narrative of the Wheatfield fight.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 2, 2022
In The Whirlpool Of Gettysburg
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.
Robin Friedman
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.
Robin Friedman
March 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this slim volume. It’s an easy read and the maps included are very informative. This is a good book to pick up specifics about just the Wheatfield. There is some info about the peach orchard and devils den, but this volume concentrates on what happened in the wheat field. I enjoyed reading it.
July 1, 2017
A detailed account of union and confederate action at the Wheatfield section of Gettysburg. Jorgensen provides excellent research into the bravery and poor decision making. The action was a stalemate due to Longstreet calling his confederate forces back.
June 18, 2025
This is a brief accounting of the seesaw battle that took place in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. Jorgensen’s award winning book successfully attempts to make sense of the four hours of whirlwind combat that took place there. It is an excellent book on this subject and well worth reading.
July 31, 2025
Rightfully the standard account of the fighting in the Wheatfield. Jorgensen is known for dividing the fighting into three phases. In this book, the phases are based on Confederate attacks I.e. Anderson, Kershaw, and Wofford.
May 24, 2017
I enjoyed this breakdown of the action specifically in the Wheatfield. It's written for those who are already familiar with Gettysburg, Day 2. It gives a detailed account of the action along with short biographies of the major leaders on the field.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews