This is the absolute worst book I've ever read. Not just the worst Civil War book, the worst book, period. The author devotes 11 measley pages to the actual engagement referred to in the title. The editing is so sloppy, every few pages are typos. The maps offered in the book are useless. No orientations to North, no scales, lacking in all detail. The most upsetting thing is the lack of documentation. It was almost as if this guy saw the movie and used that as the outline of his book. He offered very little in the way of proof to any of his assertations. The worst thing is, this guy was an officer in the Army. As an officer myself, I'm extremely disappointed in my peer. Do not waste your time with this book.

After finishing this book, I wasn't sure if I'd read one that was intended to be fact, or a novel. Despite its title, only one small chapter is devoted to the cavalry fight on Gettysburg's East Cavalry Field. The balance of the book, mostly devoted to the Gettysburg Campaign itself, is full of so many errors it's laughable. John Buford's fight the morning of July 1, the first day, is completely screwed up. It appears as though the author has never been within 1000 miles of Gettysburg. Throughout the book, the author presents easily DISPROVEN myths about Gettysburg as though they were facts. Anyone reading this book is going to get a completely incorrect idea of not only Gettysburg but much of America's Civil War in general. I collect books on the Civil War (with some 2000), the cavalry specifically, and I have just thrown this book in the trash. I will NOT permit this "work" to have a place on my shelves, and I completely regret purchasing it. The sources are scanty, and the author relied mostly on secondary resources. If the author had simply done the minimum required research in primary resources, and just cracked open the Official Records just once, he would have had to completely re-write his manuscript. DO NOT waste your money. Go to McDonald's and have a Happy Meal. It would be money much better spent. Hopefully this book will go out of print and disappear VERY soon.

This book advertises itself as being a study of the cavalry battle on East Cavalry Field at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. It's not, which is a shame.

The book is approximately 120 pages long. Of those 120 pages, only 12 deal the fight on East Cavalry Field. The rest of the book deals with a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that really has nothing to do with the themes suggested by the title. The little bit of information on the fight at East Cavalry Field sheds no light on the complicated battle that raged there. There's virtually no discussion of the extended and brutal dismounted fight that preceeded the two mounted charges and which necessitated them. There are only a couple of not particularly useful maps, and very little in the way of illustrations.

The title is also misleading in many ways. First, and foremost, George Custer played only a small and somewhat insignificant role in the battle. Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg commanded the Union forces there, and he's the one who made the critical decisions that impacted the outcome of the battle. Second, Gregg gave the orders for the 7th Michigan Cavalry, and later, the 1st Michigan Cavalry, to charge, usurping Custer's authority. In fact, Custer just went along for the ride, albeit a ride into glory. He had nothing to do with the decisions to charge.

Further, not even the most stalwart of cavalry buffs would be so arrogant to suggest that a sideshow to the Battle of Gettysburg somehow saved the Union. Perhaps the main fight at Gettysburg did, but this sideline action most assuredly did not. The repulse of the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge was much, much more significant to saving the Union than the Gregg-Stuart fight on East Cavalry Field.

Finally, and most troubling is the fact that this book's bibliography is only a page and a half long. It's clear that the author relied almost exclusively on secondary sources, as only three or four primary sources are cited in the bibliography. Stunningly, not one of those primary sources is the Offical Records of the Civil War, which must be starting point for anyone trying to analyze and understand a Civil War campaign or battle. There's no substance here to speak of, and certainly nothing to make it worth buying.

Do yourselves a favor...don't waste your money on buying this book. It's not worth it.