Storming the Wheatfield
John Caldwells Union Division in the Gettysburg Campaign
James M. Smith II
Battlefield maps by Phil Laino
Storming the Wheatfield
John Caldwells Union Division in the Gettysburg Campaign
James M. Smith II
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017957006
ISBN 9780999304938
eISBN 9780999304983
Mobi ISBN 9780999304983
All rights reserved . No part of this book may be used, reproduced, or transmitted by any means electrical, mechanical, including recording, photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author and the publisher.
Copyright 2019 James M. Smith II
First Edition
Front CoverPride of Erin by Dale Gallon www.gallon.com Wheat Image from Wheatfield by Chris Bagley
MapsPhil Laino
Please visit our website www.Gettysburgpublishing.com
To my beloved Uncle Eddie
and Aunt Lorraine.
Always in our memories.
Key to Maps
Reprinted with permission from Gettysburg Campaign Atlas by Philip Laino.
Foreword
G ETTYSBURG P ENNSYLVANIA , J ULY 1863. Perhaps no other battle fought on the North American continent has earned a place in American Civil War history as this sleepy town of 2,400 citizens. Over 160,000 men, North and South, congregated here using a vast system of roads and would spend three days in bloody combat that resulted in a turning point in the war and the destiny of a country.
The battlefield is imposing, encompassing an entire town and the fields, hills, and ridges surrounding it. All in all, about 26 square miles. Many visitors today will find exploring the field a daunting task. Many come here expecting to find a much smaller area to explore, only to realize how complicated visiting and studying this battle can be.
Perhaps no other area on the field can be more intimidating than the Wheat-field. Approximately 20 acres in size, it would play host to over 20,000 soldiers blue and grey in the late afternoon and evening of July 2. Owned by George Rose whose farm was nearby, his Wheatfield was almost ready for harvest. By the end of July 2, his crops would be ruined, trampled and bloody. Thousands of men would lie dead and wounded trapped in a no mans land. Many of these men would lie until the close of the battle before receiving care or burial. Roses Run, a small stream like Plum Run, would run red with the blood of soldiers who were killed and wounded along its banks.
The Bloody Wheatfield exchanged hands nearly six times in the span of about two hours. Confederates of Lieutenant General James Longstreets Corps and his brigadiers, Generals George Anderson, Paul Semmes, Joseph Kershaw and William Wofford would face their Union counterparts. One such command was that of Brigadier General John C. Caldwell. Caldwell commanded the First Division of the Second Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac. His brigadiers, Edward Cross, Samuel Zook, Patrick Kelly and John Brooke would play an instrumental role in this melee. It would cost Cross and Zook their lives. The blood that would be shed by Caldwells men came from all walks of life. Many of those lives would end abruptly, many would linger crying out in pain for relief, even a drink of water from the now murky blood red streams. Men attempting to carry their wounded comrades to the safety of the rear lines would be themselves, wounded or killed. The wounded waiting hours, if not days, for medical care in woefully undermanned makeshift hospitals, added to the misery. It is at times like these that the words of General Robert E. Lee resonate the ugly truth of armed conflict: It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we would grow too fond of it. Let us not forget that when things are at their worst, even in war, soldiers of both armies can put aside hostilities to aid their fellow man. Ordinary citizens render aid when and where able, and aid will come from afar as well as volunteers to treat the wounded.
The town is now transformed, forever ingrained into our history. The stories of the men who fought here should also be ingrained into our memories as well. Abraham Lincoln would attend the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, to give a few appropriate remarks. He simply asked of those in attendance and of us, do not forget that which was done by the men who fought here. The men of John Caldwells Division, the men of James Longstreets Corps and the countless others who gave their last full measure of devotion.
Today the Wheatfield is a peaceful place. Marked with tablets and monuments of stone and bronze, one is reminded of the words of Joshua Chamberlain: In great deeds something abides, on great fields something stays. Forms change and pass, but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision place of souls. Perhaps the ground can still speak to us today, all one must do is listen and read the stories from a time not so long ago.
Chris Bagley
Licensed Battlefield Guide
Gettysburg National Military Park
Acknowledgments
T HIS BOOK HONORS THE BRAVE MEN of Brigadier General John C. Caldwells Union infantry division in the Gettysburg Campaign in the summer of 1863. They were a valiant group of soldiers, and it has been an honor writing and studying about their lives and actions.
I am forever grateful for several people who have assisted me along the way in this work:
Chris Dean, my humble co-worker. I dont believe that I would ever have accomplished such a feat without your motivation and assurance. Every time I missed a step or felt the breath of failure breathing down my neck, you were there to help control my doubts and calm my nerves. Our friendship is one of a kind, and Ill never forget all that you have done for me and my writing career.
Kevin Drake, I am forever in debt to you for all that you have done. When I had any question about which direction I should go, you were always there to step in and guide my steps. It has been one of the greatest privileges, of my young career, to learn from you as you continually teach me all that I know. Im thankful for this friendship that we have established and hope that it continues on in the future.
Jim Miller, without your continued guidance through this task, I dont know where this book would have ended up. He helped me in a way that not a lot of people would have given me advice and pointers all the way. Im eternally grate-ful to be able to call him my friend.
To the National Park Service and John Heiser, without your aid this book would have never become what it is. Im forever grateful to you.
In addition, Im in great debt to my father and mother. These two people were always there for me from the start and provided more much needed motivation. Im extremely thankful to be able to call these people family. In that category, I need to also thank several battlefield guides for their help. Ray Hinchey and Paul Bailey, to name a few, have helped when I was out of answers and information on several sources.
