Customer Reviews

The Wheatfield at Gettysburg: A Walking Tour

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having been to Gettysburg once, and after having read Jorgensen's book "Gettysburgs Bloody Wheatfield", it seems to me that this book will help me when I return this summer to focus my attention properly as I walk this area of the battlefield. The booklet is well-written and contains what appears to be a fine tour. Having some optional side-trips is also nice - gives you some sense of different ways to schedule your walk.

My only nit is that instead of putting little teasers about things you may see, he should have just come out and said what was where in all cases.

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Having just returned from the 'burg, and having performed this tour, I'd have to bump this up to a 5 (if I could). It was /very/ helpful for my son and I to get a feel for what happened that day. The instructions were /mostly/ good - because of the massive work being done in this area to try and recreate the conditions of early July 1863 some directions are troublesome. [In particular, the excursion to find the Timbers Foundation was a bust.] In any event, having Mr. Jorgensen's fine tour as a guide enabled me to understand things I /never/ would have figured out without this book. If you are heading to Gettysburg, and have an inkling to learn more about the Wheatfield area on your own, this book is a must!

I bought this for my husband for Christmas. He was pleased. He had been interested in it purchasing it for a long time.

The battle in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg on July 2,1863 was one of the most complicated and confusing in three days of fighting. Jay Jorgensen's The Wheatfield at Gettysburg: A Walking Tour is a must for any visitor who wants a better understanding of what took place, and where. The Wheatfield at Gettysburg is a small book, but it packs a punch. I wish I had a copy with me the last times I visited the battlefield.

Jorgenson does not attempt to provide an in-depth study on this pivotal battle. But he does give a general overview of the three phases of the battle. He also outlines a tour with 22 stops that takes one through the Wheatfield, the Triangle, Rose's Woods, the Devil's Den, and Little Round Top. The stops include markers, monuments, the Rose farmhouse, battery positions, the Stone Wall and views of the area. The author also includes seven "excursion trips," which "are off the beaten path, and take a little extra time to find." Two of these excursions are a natural rifle pit and the foundation for the Timbers' house.

The Wheatfield of Gettysburg also includes additional information including battle maps of the three phases, lists of Union and Confederate Troops (including strengths and losses), a list of all the monuments and the dates they were dedicated, and additional reading suggestions. I take a personal interest in the Wheatfield, having a great-great-grandfather who fought and was injured there as part of the Third Corps. I am already planning my next trip to Gettysburg, and I will be sure to bring Jorgensen's informative book.