Cotton Field

This is one area I've never quite grasped as well as some of the other parts of the fight. I know that after the Confederates cleared the woods south of the Nashville Pike, finally pushed Sheridan away they emerged into this open area. And then they caught hell. The far side of the field, along the Nashville Pike was a ton of Union artillery, as well as the surviving infantry. They opened fire, the Confederates started across the field and got out there aways before they realized it was going to get them all killed. They withdrew and other Confederates to their left made the attempt to break the lines along the Pike.

But how far into this field did they get? I've heard the cotton field described as pretty small, was this whole area cotton? If not then what part was cotton and what was the rest of the field?

These first two pictures show the great open area. In the first the national cemetery is located roughly in the middle of the picture in the trees on the far side of the field.

Here is a little better view of the national cemetery. The area between the pike and the railroad was full of Union artillery as it was slightly higher than the Pike. Later this land became the national cemetery.