The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Battle for the Wheatfield (7/2/1863) - Nov. 4th, 2004

members.aol.com/CWSurgeon0 ^ | May 24, 2001 | Jenny Goellnitz

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

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The Battle for the Wheatfield
at Gettysburg
July 2nd, 1863

The Battle Opens

Had it not been for Major General Daniel E. Sickles, the commander of the Army of the Potomac's Third Corps, there probably would have never been a fight for a trapezoidal rock strewn field of wheat on the Rose farm.

General Daniel Sickles

Sickles left rested in a massive jumble of demonic boulders known as the Devil's Den. Ward's Brigade, of Birney's first division, held the maze of rocks along with Smith's New York battery. The 124th New York, the "Orange Blossoms" so named for the orange ribbons their colonel, the stern A.V.H. Ellis, had given them to foster unit pride, was posted to the right and rear of Smith's battery. The Fourth Maine, commanded by a former lumber merchant, Elijah Walker, was placed to the left of the 124th, stretching Ward's line into the rock's of the Den. The 86th New York, commanded by the chief engineer of Saracuyse's fire department, Lt. Col. Benjamin L. Higgins, continued the 124th's line north into Rose Woods. The 20th Indiana, under the command of editor Colonel John Wheeler, and the 99th Pennsylvania under the command of Major John W. Moore, stretched the line the rest of the four hundred or so yards held by Ward's brigade to the southern edge of a wheatfield on the Rose Farm.

This wheatfield, one of many fields of grain that gleamed golden around the Gettysburg area, was to become forever known as The Wheat-Field, as if there was never another field of wheat. The Wheat-Field was located on the John Rose Farm, approximately midway between the rocks of Devil's Den and Sickle's salient at a peach orchard. Since this particular field will be our subject of focus, the Wheat-Field's physical features probably deserves some discussion. It was about twenty acres in size and was trapezoidal in shape. It was 300 yards wide on it's northern and southern sides, 400 on the west, and 250 on the east.



A road, known simply as the Wheatfield Road and a large roughly triangular plot of woods known as Trostle's woods hemmed in the northern side. A worm-rail fence bound in the western side separating it from the woods and bald knob that formed the Stony Hill. The southwest corner of the field was wet and marshy, the western branch of Plum Run only 120 feet away. A stonewall separated the Wheat-Field from Rose Woods on the south side. The highest ends of the field were on the northern and eastern sides.

Despite some advantages and attributes that made the Wheat-Field a good artillery position, the fields of fire would be limited to the field itself, though the battery placed there would indeed fire into the woods. Posted in the field was Battery D, First New York Light Artillery. The battery sat on the high ground fronting south across the field and roughly parallel to the Wheatfield Road. Battery D's first commander was Thomas W. Osborn, now commander of the artillery brigade in the Eleventh Corps. The battery's current commander, was 31 year old George Bigelow Winslow, who had been engaged in the hardware business before the Civil War began. The battery was made up of 116 men and six twelve pound bronze Napoleons. The Napoleon cannon was very useful for throwing canister. This turned the cannon into a sort of giant sawed off shot gun. In the cramped quarters of the Wheat-Field, this made Winslow's battery particularly well-suited to fight. The woods on both of the battery's flanks, however, made it particularly vulnerable to being approached by Confederate infantry.


Collapse of the Peach Orchard Line
A Zouave regiment of Sickle's command pays for his unordered and ill-advised Peach Orchard Line on the second day of Gettysburg.

The woods to the west of the Wheat-Field were occupied by Colonel Philip Regis De Troibriand's brigade of five regiments from Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine. The Peach Orchard high ground that so attracted Sickles sloped downwards through these woods to a small rise that separated them from the Wheatfield Road. The ground within these woods inclined to the east. The woods were studded with boulders and marshy in the lower areas.

Col. De Trobriand commanded the Third Brigade of the First (Birney's) Division of the Third Corps. De Trobriand wrote and edited in New York City before the outbreak of hostilities in 1861. De Troibriand's initial deployment had the Fifth Michigan, under command of Lieut. Col. John Pulford, fronted towards the Rose Farm buildings, and the 110th Pennsylvania under the command of 25 year old Lt. Col. David M. Jones, in line along the south side of the Stony Hill woods. The 40th New York, nicknamed the "Mozart Regiment", under the command of Col. Thomas W. Egan, was in place to the rear of the west edge of the woods facing the Emmitsburg Road. On the right of the 40th New York was placed the Seventeenth Maine, under the command of Lt. Col. Charles B. Merrill. The Third Michigan, under the command of Col. Byron R. Pierce, formed as part of the corp's skirmish line. General Charles Graham's brigade further stretched the line into a peach orchard.


Colonel Philip Regis De Troibriand

Also in the Wheat-Field vicinity was the Eighth New Jersey of Burling's Brigade. The Eighth was commanded by Colonel John Ramsey. The Eighth was first put in place at the southwest corner of the Wheat-Field. Soon after however, the regiment was sent to the right, into the gap between Rose Woods and Stony Hill. The men attempted to strengthen their position behind the stone wall by making a make shift breastworks from fence rails. As the fight exploded at Devil's Den, General Birney called on De Trobriand's brigade for help. The Seventeenth Maine was sent to the stonewall that divided the Wheat-Field and the Rose Woods. The large 40th New York was sent to the main branch of Plum Run near Devil's Den. The movement of these two regiments bared De Trobriand's right. To help cover this area, Major General George Sykes, commander of the Fifth Corps, sent two brigades of General James Barnes's first division to Stony Hill. General James Barnes was one of the Army's oldest commanders, he had been a classmate of Robert E. Lee at West Point. Barnes was a filling in for the capable, Charles Griffin, who was on sick leave, though reports have Griffin on the field on the evening of July 2, though he did not assume command from Barnes until July 4.

The two brigades --Vincent's had been sent to cover a little craggy hill known as Little Round Top-- belonged to Colonels William S. Tilton and Jacob B. Sweitzer. These brigades --particularly Tilton's-- were tiny and combined numbered only just over 1600 men. Tilton and Sweitzer were both capable commanders, but neither would ever win a generals star. Sweitzer's brigade arrived first at Stony Hill. It's three regiments --the fourth regiment, the 9th Massachusetts had been detached-- were the 62nd Pennsylvania under command of Lt. Col. James C. Hull, the Fourth Michigan under the command of Col. Harrison Jeffords, and the 32nd Massachusetts under the command of Col. George L. Prescott who was destined to die in the first assaults on Petersburg. The 4th took up position on the brigade's right, in the north end of the woods, facing the Peach Orchard. The 62nd Pennsylvania fell in next to them and the 32nd Massachusetts was back up the hill a ways, in line with Tilton's brigade. The 32nd's position was such that it refused the brigade line and faced towards the Rose Woods out across the Plum Run ravine. Tilton's brigade was made up of four small regiments, two from Massachusetts, one from Michigan, and one from Pennsylvania. Forming the brigade's left was the 22nd Massachusetts under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas Sherwin, Jr. The 22nd stood on the southwest slope of the hill. The First Michigan, under Col. Ira C. Abbott, extended the brigade's westerly sloping line towards Plum Run. Next to the First was the 118th Pennsylvania, the "Corn Exchange" Regiment, under the command of Lt. Col. James Gwyn. The 118th's line was refused so that it faced toward the Rose Farm. The remaining regiment, the Eighteenth Massachusetts under command of Col. Joseph Hayes, formed a second line, for some reason in double line, four ranks deep.


Colonel Jacob B. Sweitzer

Making the first Confederate assault on the Wheat-Field was the brigade of Brig. Gen. George "Tige" Anderson of John Bell Hood's division. Anderson was a thirty-nine year old Georgian who had served in the ante-bellum army. His command was made up of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 59th Georgia regiments. These regiments had already met hot fire at the Rose Farm. The Rebel assault was preceded by a Rebel yell and a rush of terrified cattle and hogs. The Confederates moved forward towards the cover of Plum Run's bank. Sometime during this assault, the last of Burling's regiments that had been parceled out all over the field, the 115th Pennsylvania under the command of Maj. John P. Dunne, which was posted next to the Eighth New Jersey.

Winslow's battery, posted about 300 yards behind the line of the Seventeenth Maine, hurled shot into the oncoming Georgians. The Georgians began slowly sidling left, and the two regiments from Burling's brigade were forced to pull back to avoid being flanked. In this withdrawal, the Eighth's flag became stuck in the branches of a tree, and delayed moving until the colors were free. The regiments commander, Col. John Ramsey and several others, paid for the delay by being wounded. The 115th Pennsylvania fell into line on the right of Winslow's battery. The withdrawal of these two regiments exposed the right flank of the Seventeenth Maine. In response, the commander of the Seventeenth refused his line.


Brig. Gen. George Thomas Tige Anderson

The fighting was fierce. Anderson's Eleventh Georgia streamed forward and placed it's colors on the stonewall held by the Seventeenth Maine. The Down Easterners pushed them back. The Georgians applied pressure against the Fifth Michigan and the 110th Pennsylvania and in the process were met by enfilade fire from the refused companies of the Maine boys. Anderson's brigade slowly was pulled back.

As he withdrew his brigade, however, Anderson was shot through the thigh and command of his brigade passed to Lieut. Col. William Luffman of the Eleventh Georgia. The fighting had been going on for almost an hour.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle Continues

Now there was a lull. However, it did not last long. Onto the scene was coming Joseph Kershaw's brigade. Attacking to the left of Anderson would be a brigade of South Carolinians --regiments numbered 2nd, 3rd, 3rd Battalion, 7th, 8th, and 15th, commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw. The forty-one year old Kershaw was known for his coolness and judiciousness of action under fire. The South Carolinians had met sharp fire from artillery crossing the Rose Farm as well. Kershaw's and Anderson's brigades began their advance. Awaiting them was De Trobriand's brigade and the two brigades from the Fifth Corps in place on Stony Hill. Kershaw's brigade approached Tilton's men. The Federals opened fire. Colonel Ira C. Abbott of the First Michigan fell wounded and Lt. Col. William A. Throop took over command of the regiment. The fire was hot and bullets zipped all around. Anderson's brigade continued it's advance, moving against portions of Sweitzer's and De Trobriand's brigades. The attack was spirited and so was the defense. Swietzer had the 62nd change fronts, forming a column with the Fourth Michigan and the 62nd Pennsylvania behind the 32nd Massachusetts.

Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw

Barnes had sent word that when Sweitzer's brigade fell back it should do so through the woods. The Seventeenth Maine of De Trobriand's brigade supported still by Winslow, held on tightly to the stonewall. However, the numbers and ammunition in the regiment were running out. Looking for help, De Trobriand discovered that Sweitzer's brigade was slowly melting back under the pressure from Kershaw's men.

Sweitzer's and Tilton's brigades held the Stony Hill and seemed to be in an advantageous position. Barnes, however, with no orders and seemingly for no reason, withdrew his brigades back to the Trostle Woods, creating an even larger gap between De Trobriand's brigade and Bigelow's battery posted on the Wheatfield Road. Needless to say this withdrawal would later be sharply criticized. The withdrawal of the Fifth Corps troops had been orderly and they remained on the field. Barnes was still with them despite having been wounded in the thigh.


The Wheatfield, Gettysburg
July 2, 1863
At less than fifty yards, the men of Col. Pat Kelly’s famed Irish Brigade prepare to fire their first volley into the South Carolinians of Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw’s Brigade.

De Trobriand's brigade remained in position despite heavy casualties. Ward's brigade at the Devil's Den had been driven back. The brave men of De Trobriand's brigade gave ground. The Fifth and 110th fell back through the woods of Stony Hill. The Seventeenth also fell back and the brigade united somewhere near the Wheatfield Road. Winslow's battery that had been posted in the Wheat-Field was now of course in trouble. The 115th Pennsylvania charged the Confederate line twice before leaving the field for the safety of Trostle Woods, having run out of ammunition. Winslow's battery was driven back.

With the withdrawal of Winslow's Napoleons, the Georgians stepped over the stonewall that had been so gallantly hung onto by the Seventeenth Maine into the Wheat-Field. Ward's brigade had been driven from Devil's Den, De Trobriand, Sweitzer, and Tilton from the Wheat-Field and Stony Hill. The entire left of Sickles line was in serious jeopardy. The position in the Wheat-Field would have to be restored or Sickles Emmitsburg Road line would be smashed. Caldwell's division of the Second Corps and Ayres's division of the Fifth had been detached to provide help, but it was necessary to buy some time.


Into The Wheatfield

John C. Caldwell's division was the only one in the Army made up of four brigades. Brig. Gen. John Caldwell was a mediocre division commander lost later in the reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in 1864. The first brigade, and the brigade that led the division to the Wheat-Field was commanded by Colonel Edward E. Cross and was made up of four regiments, the 5th New Hampshire commanded by Lt. Col. Charles Hapgood, the 61st New York commanded by Lt. Col. K. Oscar Broady, the 81st Pennsylvania under the command of Col. Henry Boyd McKeen, destined to die at Cold Harbor, and the 148th Pennsylvania under the command of Lt. Col. Robert McFarlane. Caldwell's division had been Hancock's. It's fighters were amongst the very best in the Army of the Potomac.

As Cross led his brigade past General Hancock, Hancock called out to Cross, "Colonel Cross, this day will bring you a star." Cross had been battling melancholy thoughts of death during the whole march to Gettysburg. The red bearded commander customarily wore a red bandanna around his head --a trait he had picked up at Antietam when he was wounded in the scalp-- but today the handkerchief was a somber black. To Hancock's greeting, Cross's laconic reply was, "No, General, this is my last battle."


Colonel Edward E. Cross of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps. Colonel Cross was mortally wounded in The Wheatfield while leading his brigade.

Next in line was Colonel Patrick Kelly's, later killed at Petersburg, brigade, the famed Irish Brigade. It numbered just over 500 men, a shattered fragment of a once proud unit. The five regiments making up the brigade was the 28th Massachusetts under the command of Col. Richard Byrnes later mortally wounded at Cold Harbor, the 63rd, 69th, and 88th New York regiments under the commands of Lt. Col. Richard Bentley and Capts. Richard Moroney and Dennis F. Burke respectively, and the 116th Pennsylvania under the command of Maj. St. Clair Mullholand. Before entering the fray, the mainly Catholic brigade had Absolution performed on it by Father William Corby, a scene witnessed by Hancock and other high officers.

Following behind Kelly's brigade was the brigade of Brig. Gen. Samuel K. Zook. A native of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Zook had, like Cross, premonitions of death. Zook's brigade was made up of three regiments from New York --the 52nd under Lieut. Col. Charles G. Freudenberg, the 57th under Lieut. Col. Alford B. Chapman, and the 66th under Col. Orlando H. Morris who would later be killed at Cold Harbor-- and one, the 140th commanded by Col. Richard Roberts, from Pennsylvania. Zook's brigade was called on for assistance by the Third Corps and hence marched into Trostle Woods. Here, it deployed in two lines and advanced. The fourth brigade, commanded by Colonel John Brooke, followed that of Kelly. Brooke's brigade was made up of the 27th Connecticut under Lt. Col. Henry Merwin, the 2nd Deleware under Col. William P. Bailey, the 64th New York under the command of Col. Daniel G. Bingham, and two Pennsylvania regiments, the 53rd commanded by Lt. Col. Richard McMichael and Col. Hiram Brown's 145th regiment. Cross deployed his brigade with the 5th New Hampshire on the left, with the 148th Pennsylvania next, and then the 81st Pennsylvania, and 61st New York. The 5th and part of the 148th were in the woods; the rest of the brigade was advancing through the wheat. The brigade advanced through the waist high wheat, capturing some of the enemy in the process. Cross was behind the right wing at first, but he soon moved to the left behind his old regiment, the 5th New Hampshire. Cross walked into the woods behind the 5th, and a rifle cracked.


On the morning of July 2, 1863, the First Minnesota, along with the other units of the II Corps, took its position in the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Late in the day, the Union III Corps, under heavy attack by the Confederate I Corps, collapsed creating a dangerous gap in the Union line. The advancing Confederate brigades were in position to breakthrough and then envelope the Union forces. At that critical moment, the First Minnesota was ordered to attack. Advancing at double time, the Minnesotans charged into the leading Confederate brigade with unbounded fury. Fighting against overwhelming odds, the heroic Minnesotans gained the time necessary for the Union line to reform. But the cost was great. Of the 262 members of the regiment present for duty that morning, only 47 answered the roll that evening. The regiment incurred the highest casualty rate of any unit in the Civil War.

A Confederate bullet punched through Cross's body near his navel. Sgt. Charles Phelps of the 5th brought down the sniper who had been hiding behind a large clefted rock. Command of the brigade passed to Col. Henry Boyd McKeen.

Anderson's brigade waited behind the Seventeenth Maine's stonewall. Cross's men drove the Georgians back, the Confederates falling back towards the Devil's Den and back through the woods hemming the Wheat-Field. The special assignment from Sickles to Zook meant that even though the Irish Brigade was second in line, Zook's brigade was next of Caldwell's brigades into battle. They formed for the attack in Trostle's Woods under fire amongst pandemonium and confusion.


Dead Soldiers in the Wheatfield Near Emmittsburg Road - Gettysburg PA, July 1863

The men of Zook's brigades stepped over the prone bodies of the Fifth Corps soldiers. Sometime before the brigade advanced into the Wheat-Field, the skipper of the 140th Pennsylvania, Colonel Roberts, made a patriotic speech, reminding his men that they were fighting on the ground of old Pennsylvania. The regiment cheered it's widower colonel, the man who had caught up with the regiment after a sick leave and worried about his small daughter. At Zook's command, the brigade advanced into the Wheatfield. Zook's men advanced to replace Barnes's men who had vacated the Stony Hill. Zook's formed his men in a double line. The 66th and 52nd New York and the 140th Pennsylvania formed the first line, from left to right. Behind them, the 57th New York was in support. As the brigade moved across the Wheat-Field Road, General Zook was shot. He reeled in the saddle from a bullet wound to his abdomen that a surgeon remembered exposed each of his heart beats to view. Command should have passed to Colonel Morris of the 66th New York but he could not be found, having made for the rear with a wound of his own in his chest. In effect, the fall of Zook left the brigade virtually without a leader. Most likely Colonel John Brooke, commander of the Fourth Brigade, took over command of Zook's regiments.

The Irish Brigade, about the size of a large Gettysburg regiment, advanced between the gap between Cross's brigade and the Stony Hill and Zook. It crossed the trodden golden wheat, it's distinctive emerald flags next to the stars and stripes. Seeing the advance of Zook and Kelly, Kershaw called upon Paul Semmes's brigade to come to his aid. Paul J. Semmes commanded a brigade of made up of Georgians: Semmes the 10th, 50th, 51st, and 53rd regiments. Semmes brigade would fill in the gap between Anderson's and Kershaw's brigade.



Zook's men advanced with spirit and with speed towards the Carolinians. The brigade pushed towards the rock studded woods, the northern half of the Stony Hill. The flanks of the Irish Brigade and Zook's brigades overlapped, and to try and remedy the situation the 140th was shifted to the right. In the sharp fight, Colonel Roberts of the 140th fell and his young daughter became an orphan, as did Captain David Ascheson a prominent young promising soldier. Lt. Col. John Fraser took command of the 140th Pennsylvania. As Zook's men wrestled for control of the Northern end of the Stony Hill, the Irish Brigades small regiments advanced against the southern half. The scene in the woods was confusion and chaos. Kershaw's brigade fell back across Plum Run towards the Rose Farm.

As Kershaw's brigade withdrew, Wofford's brigade was arriving. William T. Wofford commanded a brigade of made up of Georgians: the 16th, 18th, 24th, Cobb's Legion, and Phillips Legion. Wofford's brigade advanced down the Wheatfield Road, moving against Stony Hill and the Trostle Woods. They were bearing down on Zook's line.


Major General George Sykes

Brooke's brigade had been Caldwell's support and reserves and had followed the Irish Brigade across the Wheat-Field. Now it's turn in the Gettysburg drama had come. The youthful --he was but 25-- Brooke gave his men a brief speech and led them forward. Caldwell ordered them to replace Cross's brigade on the left. They advanced past Cross's men, and in the advance Col. Hiram Brown of the 145th Pennsylvania fell wounded and Lt. Col. Henry C. Merwin of the 27th Connecticut was killed. Brooke's brigade fixed bayonets and then advanced against Anderson in the north half of Rose Woods. The Confederates were pushed back across Plum Run. But the gallant advance faltered somewhat as they approached the western end of the Rose Woods. For the moment, the Wheat-Field was again in Union hands.

Semmes brigade had come to the aid of Anderson. He, however, soon fell with a mortal wound in his thigh. Brooke directed his troops from a top a big boulder near the center of his line. To meet an advance on his flank, he refused the line of the Second Deleware. The fighting was savage and brutal. Brooke's brigade was getting a cross fire from the direction of Devil's Den. Brooke was wounded in the ankle. His men were running very low on ammunition. He called on Caldwell, who himself was looking for help, for assistance for his small brigade. By this time, the fighting on Little Round Top was drawing to a bloody conclusion and Barksdale had began his advance towards the Peach Orchard and the Emmitsburg Road.



Caldwell had found help in the form of Ayres division --a division of three brigades, two regular and one volunteer-- from the Fifth Corps. Despite Ayres promise of help for Caldwell's division, it would arrive too late to be of much help to hold the ground that Caldwell's division had won from the hard fighting brigades of Hood's and McLaw's division. Brooke's brigade withdrew slowly, firing as it went, through the woods. Zook's brigade and Kelly's were still fighting with Semmes and Kershaw. Approaching from the Peach Orchard vicinity was Wofford's brigade. Brooke continued to fall back; Kelly and Zook fell back as well in at least some confusion. Caldwell was still looking for help for his hard pressed division. He found Sweitzer's brigade in Trostle Woods near the Wheatfield Road. Sweitzer, after conferring with Barnes led his men forward into the maelstrom. There was something of a lull as Sweitzer's brigade advanced, but Wofford's men were still advancing from the Peach Orchard area. Sweitzer's brigade advanced with the 4th Michigan on the right, the 62nd Pennsylvania in the middle, and the 32nd Massachusetts on the left. The brigade soon came under fire from Stony Hill and the brigade color bearer, Private Edward Martin, turned to Sweitzer and called, "Colonel, I'll be damned if I don't think we are faced the wrong way!"

To meet this, the Fourth Michigan and 62nd Pennsylvania fronted towards the west. Sweitzer's Brigade was practically surrounded. Barnes sent orders for the men to get out, but for some reason they never reached Sweitzer's Brigade. A second courier found Sweitzer. The fighting at this point was very fierce and close. Sweitzer's horse was shot and a bullet passed through his hat.



The bearer of the National colors of the Fourth Michigan had dropped them. The skipper of the Fourth, Col. Harrison Jeffords had pledged his life to defending that flag, so when he saw it lying in the wheat, he jumped into action after it. Jeffords and a Confederate soldier both grabbed the colors. There was a tugging match and some hot words were passed, more Confederates and Federals were drawn to the spot. A Confederate soldier ran Jeffords through with his bayonet. Jeffords wound was mortal, his last words not for the flag but his mother, the highest ranking officer to be killed by a bayonet.

Sweitzer's brigade was in a tight spot and it was forced to withdraw. The regiments rallied behind a battery and the Ninth Massachusetts rejoined the brigade from Wolf's Hill where it had been detached. Anderson's brigade had made three charges against the Wheat-Field, supported at times by Kershaw, Wofford, and Semmes. At this point, there was only Ayres division in the vicinity to meet the Confederate units that had captured the Wheat-Field.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle Closes

Brig. Gen. Romeyn Beck Ayres commanded all of the regulars in the Army of the Potomac in addition to a brigade of volunteers from Pennsylvania and New York. The volunteer brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Stephen H. Weed, had left the division at Warren's request to lend aid to the pressed troops on Little Round Top. This left Ayres with the regulars to attack the Wheat-Field. Sidney Burbank's brigade was made up of the 2nd, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 17th United States Regular regiments; Hannibal Day's brigade was made up of the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 12th, and 14th United States regulars.

Ayres advanced the two remaining brigades towards the field. Burbank advanced southwest toward Rose Woods. After they crossed Plum Run they began to be struck on the flank by the Confederates at Devil's Den. To try and halt this annoyance, Burbank posted the 17th off a bit to the left. Burbank halted his brigade at the stonewall east of the Wheat-Field. Day's brigade halted to it's rear. Burbank's brigade was advanced to approximately the same position that had been earlier held by Cross's brigade. This meant the line covered the Devil's Den and the left of Caldwell's Division. Burbank's brigade entered the trampled wheat, and were hit by a sharp fire. Ayres ordered the men back, to the north slope of Little Round Top.


Soldiers Killed on July 2 in the Wheatfield Near Emmittsburg Road - Gettysburg, PA, July 1863

The regulars were being hit on three sides.

Day's brigade had waited while Burbank was pushed back out of the trodden wheat. A bullet had killed Col. Day's horse. Day's brigade was hit on the right by fire from the Wheatfield Road vicinity. The two brigades fell back together, trying to get out of the line of fire of Gibb's Ohio battery. The Regulars spent less than an hour in the Wheat-Field and accomplished little.

With the fall back of Ayres, there were no blue units west of Plum Run or south of Trostle Lane. The line set up by Sickles had been shattered. The Army of the Potomac was in trouble. It still held Little Round Top, to be sure, but Longstreet's corps had smashed through Sickle's poorly set up line. Later in the day, Crawford's division would charge to the stonewall on the east side of the Wheat-Field through the Valley of Death. Wofford's brigade at that point had been ordered back, an order not well received by General Wofford. At the end of the day as darkness settled over the bloodstained and torn wheat, the Wheat-Field was still in Confederate hands. The human cost in the Wheat-Field had been ghastly. The 61st New York of Cross's brigade lost 60% of it's number, all killed and wounded. The 53rd Pennsylvania in Brooke's brigade had lost 59% of it's number. The 17th U.S. of Burbank's brigade lost 58%. For the most part, the Union regiments averaged losses of approximately 1/3. The Confederates lost similarly.



Of the commanders in the Wheat-Field, Colonel Cross died before midnight. He had been a hot tempered but superb commander. He had distinguished himself under fire numerous times and had been wounded numerous times. The Fifth New Hampshire monument, Cross' old regiment, marks the spot where he fell. He died before midnight, gasping: "I did hope I should see peace restored to our distressed country think the boys will miss me. Say good-bye to all." General Zook, of Philadelphia, died of the wound in his body during the afternoon of July 3rd sometime after the repulse of Pickett's Charge. His body would be interred in Norristown PA, in the same cemetery that eventually would hold the remains of his Corps commander.

Of the regimental commanders, Col. Roberts was dead, Lt. Col. Merwin was dead, and Col. Jeffords was dead. Lt. Col. Bentley, Capt. Richard Moroney, Col. Orlando Morris, Lt. Col. Hammell who had taken over the 66th New York from Morris, Col. Hiram L. Brown, Col. Ira C. Abbott, Capt. Henry Freedlay, and Maj. Arthur Lee had all fallen wounded.

In the end, the Wheat-Field had been a bloody mess, a sharp, very confused fight with much gallantry shown on both sides. The woods surrounding Mr. Rose's farm and his field of golden wheat had become an awful showcase of fierce attacks, stalwart defenses, and common heroism. The Wheat-Field is not as famous as Little Round Top or the Angle, but the valor and hard fighting that occurred there was amongst the best of the battle of Gettysburg and the American War of the Rebellion.

Additional Sources:

www.civilwarphotos.net
gettysburg.webpark.pl
www.nps.gov
library.thinkquest.org
www.virginiawestern.edu
www.generalsandbrevets.com
users.aol.com/ michflags
www.gallon.com
www.ngb.army.mil
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.echoesofgettysburg.com

[SAMWolf]

On the sultry afternoon of July 2, 1863, a wheatfield would become the center of a swirling and confused whirlpool of fighting and death. This wheatfield, one of many such wheatfields that was golden with ripening grain surrounding the south central Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg, would forever be known simply as The Wheatfield. Over the course of one long bloody afternoon, this wheatfield would become, like places such as Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and the Peach Orchard, firmly entrenched in the American memory as a place American killed American during the bloody battle of Gettysburg. By the end of July 2, the wheat would be trampled and the ground soaked with blood, forever hallowing the ground, surrounding woods, and the simple name of this place where Americans fought and bled and died.

[SAMWolf]

Here are the recommended holiday mailing dates for military mail this year:

For military mail addressed TO APO and FPO addresses, the mailing dates are:

• Parcel Post - November 13
• Space Available - November 27
• Parcel Airlift - December 4
• Priority Mail, First Class cards and letters - Mailing date is December 11 to all locations
  • EXCEPT for locations starting with ZIP 093. For all locations starting with ZIP 093 the mailing date is December 6.
• Express Mail - December 20 to locations where Express Mail service is available. Check with your local post office to determine which APO/FPO addresses can receive Express Mail. Note: This service is not available to ships.

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For military mail FROM APO and FPO addresses, the mailing dates are:

• Space Available - November 20
• Parcel Airlift - December 4
• Priority Mail, First Class cards and letters - December 11
• Express Mail - December 18 from APO/FPO addresses where Express Mail can be accepted. Check with your local military post office to determine if they can accept Express Mail. Note: This service is not available from ships.

Thanks for the information StayAtHomeMother

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Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Thursday Morning Everyone.


If you want to be added to our ping list, let us know.

If you'd like to drop us a note you can write to:

The Foxhole
19093 S. Beavercreek Rd. #188
Oregon City, OR 97045

[SAMWolf]

Good Night Snippy.

Have to catch up on the sleep we lost last night waiting for election results.

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Sam.

Did you know perhaps the Wheatfield could have been avoided had Sickles been convicted of an earlier crime:

In his pre- and post-Civil War careers, as well as during the conflict, Daniel E. Sickles proved to be one of the most controversial of Union corps commanders. Prewar, the New York City native had already become the first man acquitted of a murder charge on the grounds of temporary insanity. Sickles, a congressman, shot down Philip Barton Key-the son of the composer of the "Star Spangled Banner"-in LaFayette Park,across the street from both Sickles' home and the White House. Key had been having an affair with Sickles' wife.

[SAMWolf]

I didn't know that about Sickles, I was only familiar with his Civil War background.

Hey ! I learned something!!

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[The Mayor]

November 4, 2004

"Retronyms"

Read: John 3:1-17

Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." —John 3:7

Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 32-33; Hebrews 1

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What do regular coffee, acoustic guitars, and black-and-white television have in common? All are what journalist Frank Mankiewicz calls "retronyms"—words or phrases created because a familiar word needs to be distinguished from a term that refers to a new development or invention.

Once, all coffee was regular, all guitars were acoustic, and all TVs were black and white. Not so today, thus the need for a growing list of retronyms, including decaf mocha java, electric guitar, and high-def television.

It could be said that Jesus turned the phrase physical birth into a retronym when He told an inquiring man named Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Nicodemus was a religious person who didn't grasp the idea of second birth. "How can a man be born when he is old?" he asked Jesus. "Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (v.4). Jesus further explained the difference between being born of the flesh and being born of the Spirit, then concluded, "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again'" (v.7).

Our Christian life begins when we invite Jesus to live within us. It's a miracle! We're born again. —David McCasland

Rejoice, O soul, the debt is paid,
For all our sins on Christ were laid;
We've been redeemed, we're justified—
And all because the Savior died. —D. De Haan

Natural life came by God's breath; eternal life comes by Christ's death.

[manna]

Present!

[alfa6]

Hi manna

Gettysburg Bump for the Thursday Foxhole.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[alfa6]

Here is a pic I have that I believe is taken from Houcks Ridge showing the Wheatfield in the background. Hat tip to Bruce R. from the Civil War Pictures newsgroup for the pic.

Will look through the pics later to see if I have anymore.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone!

[The Mayor]

Mornin Feather!

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Aeronaut

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C.

Cilly and foggy this morning. Temps are in the high 30's BRRR!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor.

"retronyms", interesting term and defintion.