Storming the Wheatfield: John Caldwell's Union Division in the Gettysburg Campaign [Paperback]

This gripping narrative is an in-depth study of the valiant men of General John Caldwells Union Division during the Gettysburg Campaign. Caldwells Division made a desperate stand against a tough and determined Confederate force in farmer George Rose's nearly 20-acre Wheatfield. Ready for harvest, the infamous Wheatfield would change hands nearly six times in the span of two hours of fighting on July 2, becoming a trampled, bloody, no-man's land for thousands of wounded soldiers.Smith examines the lives of the Union soldiers in the ranksas well as leaders Cross, Kelly, Zook, Brooke, and Caldwell himself. From Colonel Edward Crosss black bandana, to the famed Irish Brigade's charge on Stoney Hill, to a lone young man from Washington County whose grave is marked in stone nearby, James Smiths Storming the Wheatfield goes deep into the lives the soldiers, evoking a personal connection with the troops. Smith painstakingly contacted nearly one hundred descendants of Caldwell's soldiers, producing one of the most extensively researched narratives to date.Becoming a trampled, bloody, no-man's land for thousands of wounded soldiers, Gettysburg's infamous Wheatfield changed hands nearly six times within two hours on July 2, 1863. Smith's gripping narrative examines the valiant Union soldiers in General John Caldwell's Divisionas well as leaders Cross, Kelly, Zook, Brooke, and Caldwell himself.ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1: Caldwells Commanders and Brigade Histories2: The Long March to Gettysburg3: Saviors of the Wheatfield4: The Bloody Aftermath of July 25: A Stiff Fight on July 36: Pursuing Lees Army7: Conclusion and EpilogueAppendix: Losses in Caldwell's Division at GettysburgNotesBibliographyUS