GETTYSBURG'S PEACH ORCHARD: Longstreet, Sickles, and the Bloody Fight for the Commanding Ground Along the Emmitsburg Road

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Hessler and Isenberg, both Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, combine the military aspects of the July 2, 1863 fighting with human interest stories in a balanced treatment of the bloody attack and defense of Gettysburg's Peach Orchard.

General Sickles's questionable advance forced Longstreet's artillery and infantry to fight for every inch of ground on the way to Cemetery Ridge. The Confederate attack crushed the Peach Orchard salient and other parts of the Union line and threatened the left flank of Maj. Gen. George Meade's Army of the Potomac. The command decisions made on and around the Sherfy property influenced actions on every part of the battlefield. The occupation of the high ground at the Peach Orchard helped General Lee rationalize ordering the tragic July 3 assault known as Pickett's Charge.