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Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg: The Battles for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge and East Cavalry Field, July 2 -3, 1863
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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About this ebook
The award-winning Civil War historian’s study “makes the case that Union cavalry had a tremendous effect on the course of the titanic battle” (J. David Petruzzi, author of The Complete Gettysburg Guide).
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.
After arriving at Gettysburg on July 2 and witnessing the climax of the fighting at Brinkerhoff’s Ridge, Stuart knew that if he 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.
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.
After arriving at Gettysburg on July 2 and witnessing the climax of the fighting at Brinkerhoff’s Ridge, Stuart knew that if he 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.
Author
Eric J. Wittenberg
Eric J. Wittenberg is an Ohio attorney, accomplished Civil War cavalry historian, and award-winning author. He has penned more than a dozen books, including Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions, which won the 1998 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award, and The Devil’s to Pay: John Buford at Gettysburg, which won the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable’s 2015 Book Award.
Read more from Eric J. Wittenberg
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Reviews for Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg
Rating: 4.136363636363637 out of 5 stars
4/5
11 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a short book that covers the important cavalry actions that happened on or near the East Cavalry Field at the Gettysburg Battlefield. The narrative is brisk, informative, and filled with many great human stories. My only wish would be that the book have a few more maps - maybe one that would have better shown how Stuart's and Gregg's forces arrived at the battlefield. And one or two more maps that would have shown the positions of the Confederate and Union forces during the sweeping battles on July 3rd. Given how fluid and chaotic that battle was having a few more time-based maps could have added some additional depth.I thought the book was very compelling in its conclusions - giving Gregg significant kudos and placing Custer in a more limited and appropriate light. I also very much appreciated the section at the end that would help any visitor to find and visit the sites covered in this battle.
Book preview
Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg - Eric J. Wittenberg
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