Gettysburg''S Forgotten Cavalry Actions: FarnsworthS Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863

Gettysburgs Forgotten Cavalry Actions examines in great detail three of the campaigns central cavalry episodes. The first is the heroic but doomed legendary charge of Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworths cavalry brigade against Confederate infantry and artillery. The attack was launched on July 3 after the repulse of Picketts Charge, and the high cost included the life of General Farnsworth. The second examines Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritts tenacious fight on South Cavalry Field, including a fresh look at the opportunity to roll up the Army of Northern Virginias flank on the afternoon of July 3. Finally, Wittenberg studies the short but especially brutal cavalry fight at Fairfield, Pennsylvania. The strategic Confederate victory kept the Hagerstown Road open for Lees retreat back to Virginia, nearly destroyed the 6th U. S. Cavalry, and resulted in the award of two Medals of Honor. With nearly 15,000 words of new material based upon recently uncovered archival sources, including a new appendix (co-authored with J. David Petruzzi) that resolves the dispute about where Farnsworths Charge and Merritts fight occurred; a walking and driving tour complete with GPS coordinates and updated photographs to reflect the modern appearance of the Gettysburg battlefield, which now better reflects its 1863 appearance, this fully revised edition adds extensive new research, interpretations, and conclusions that substantially add to our understanding of these important mounted actions. About the Author Eric J. Wittenberg is a world-renowned American Civil War cavalry historian and author. See more