“On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 3, 1863) during the disastrous infantry assault nicknamed Pickett’s Charge, there were two cavalry battles: one approximately three miles (5 km) to the east, in the area known today as East Cavalry Field, the other southwest of the [Big] Round Top mountain (sometimes called South Cavalry Field).
The East Cavalry Field fighting was an attempt by Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate cavalry to get into the Federal rear and exploit any success that Pickett’s Charge may have generated. Union cavalry under Brig. Gens. David McM. Gregg and George Armstrong Custer repulsed the Confederate advances.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg,_Third_Day_cavalry_battles
The story of the cavalry battles fought at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863 are not well known.
It was when I visited this field in 1997 that I learned from the monuments that the 1st New Jersey Cavalry fought alongside Custer and the Michigan cavalry.
I did not even know NJ had any cavalry.
On that visit, I spent three days by myself, tracing the battle day by day, and area by area during the approximate times of the day/evening.
While battles like Antietam can be understood in a one day visit, Gettysburg is a whole different animal.
Excellent post.
The cavalry battle was very important to the Battle of Gettysburg.