Mcpherson's Ridge: Battleground America

Gunfire broke the morning silence on July 1, 1863, as Confederate General Henry Heth pushed his division down Chamberburg Pike toward Gettysburg. One half mile west of town on a farm owned by Edward McPherson, a ridge and a small woodland provided all the protection Union forces needed to slow Heth's march. There on the ridge, Buford's Union cavalry stalled the oncoming Confederates - just long enough for infantry reinforcements to arrive and help defend against determined Confederate assaults. The battle of McPherson's Ridge raged furiously for hours, as both sides unleashed murderous rifle fire and deadly artillery barrages. When the Northerners could no longer hold on, they withdrew, first to Seminary Ridge, then through town to Cemetery Hill, where they would stay for two more bloody days. In the Civil War's most important battle, the early contest for McPherson's Ridge just outside of Gettysburg is considered by many to be the battle's most crucial stage. McPherson's Ridge offers a unique approach to the battle and the battlefield. Described in lively and compelling narrative complemented with original accounts and illustrations, modern-day photographs, and detailed maps.