At Gettysburg, the Wheatfield was part of the Rose Farm owned by George Rose.
George and Dorothy Rose purchased the roughly 230-acre farm in 1858, a few years before the Battle of Gettysburg. The property south of town included the Wheatfield, Rose Woods, and Stony Hill. George’s brother John lived at the farm during the battle, while tenant farmer Francis Ogden also worked part of the property.
On July 2, 1863, the Wheatfield became one of the most violently contested areas of the battle. Union and Confederate brigades launched repeated attacks and counterattacks across the field and nearby woods. The fighting involved troops from both Longstreet’s and Meade’s armies, and the ground changed hands several times.
The field’s name can cause confusion because other Gettysburg farms—such as the Trostle, Spangler, and Bliss farms—also became associated with major combat. The Wheatfield, however, belonged to the Rose property, which later became known for the extraordinary concentration of casualties suffered there.