{"product_id":"the-second-day-at-gettysburg-the-attack-and-defense-of-cemetery-ridge-july-2-1863","title":"The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of Cemetery Ridge  July 2  1863","description":"\u003cp\u003eSo much has been written about Gettysburg  goes the well-worn clich  that there is nothing new left to write. The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of Cemetery Ridge  July 2  1863  by David L. Shultz and Scott L. Mingus Sr. aptly demonstrates that there is indeed still much to learn about the wars largest and bloodiest battle.  Based upon a faulty early-morning reconnaissance  General Robert E. Lee decided to attack up the Emmitsburg Road in an effort to collapse the left flank of General George Meades Army of the Potomac and decisively defeat it. The effort got underway when General James Longstreets First Corps troops crushed General Sickles Peach Orchard salient and turned north and east to drive deeply into the Union rear. A third Confederate division under Richard Anderson  part of A. P. Hills Third Corps  joined in the attack  slamming one brigade after another into the overstretched Union line stitched northward along the Emmitsburg Road. The bloody fighting stair-stepped its way up Cemetery Ridge  tearing open a large gap in the center of the Federal line that threatened to split the Union army in two. The fate of the Battle of Gettysburg hung in the balance.  Despite the importance of the position  surprisingly few Union troops were available to defend the yawning gap on the ridge. Major General Winfield S. Hancocks Second Corps had been reduced to less than one division when his other two were sucked southward to reinforce the collapsing Third Corps front. Reprising Horatio at the Bridge  the gallant commander cobbled together a wide variety of infantry and artillery commands and threw them into the action  refusing to yield even one acre of ground. The long and intense fighting included hand-to-hand combat and the personal heroics of which legends are made.  Veteran Gettysburg authors Shultz and Mingus merge their subject matter expertise and keen understanding of the complex undulating terrain and physical features to produce the most detailed study of this action ever written. In addition to demonstrating how the fighting on the far Union left directly affected the combat to come in the center of General Meades line  the authors also address some of the most commonly overlooked aspects of the fighting: what routes did some of the key units take to reach the front? What could the commanders actually see  and when could they see it? How did the fences  roads  farms  trees  ravines  creeks  and others obstacles directly affect tactical decisions  and ultimately the battle itself?  Based upon extensive research and graced with dozens of photographs and detailed original maps  The Second Day at Gettysburg offers a balanced  compelling  and ultimately satisfying account of one of the most overlooked and yet important aspects of the defining battle of the American Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44958177984565,"sku":"ByrdShop_1611210747","price":58.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781611210743.jpg?v=1770367633","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-second-day-at-gettysburg-the-attack-and-defense-of-cemetery-ridge-july-2-1863","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}