Iron Brigade
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The Iron Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army during the American Civil War that was noted for its ability to withstand almost any fire, and its regiments combined took the highest casualty percentage of the war.
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Brigade nickname
The Iron Brigade initially consisted primarily of regiments raised in Wisconsin, which led it to be also nicknamed the Iron Brigade of the West. Also, due to the black Hardee hats that the brigade wore (along with other units in I Corps), they were known early in the war as the Black Hat Boys.
The brigade earned its famous nickname while under the command of Brigadier General John Gibbon, who led the brigade in its first fight at Brawner's Farm during the Second Battle of Bull Run, where it stood up against Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson’s forces. The designation "Iron Brigade" originated at the battle for the gaps of South Mountain, the prelude to the Battle of Antietam. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, commanding I Corps, approached Army of the Potomac commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, seeking orders. McClellan asked, "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?" Hooker replied, "[Brigadier] General Gibbon's brigade of Western men." McClellan stated, "They must be made of iron." Hooker said that the regiment had performed even more superbly at Second Bull Run; to this, McClellan said that the brigade consisted of the "best troops in the world." Hooker became very elated and rode off with his orders; afterward, the name "Iron Brigade" stuck.
Brigade history
The Iron brigade was activated on October 1, 1861, upon the arrival in Washington, D.C., of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry regiment. The brigade fought under the I Corps starting in 1862, when the Army of the Potomac was reorganized under Major General George B. McClellan. The commanders, disregarding temporary assignments, were:
- Brig. Gen. Rufus King: September 28, 1861 – May 7, 1862
- Brig. Gen. John Gibbon: May 7, 1862 – November 4, 1862
- Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith: November 25, 1862 – July 1, 1863
The Iron Brigade lost its unofficial designation on July 16, 1863, following its crippling losses at Gettysburg, when a non-Western regiment (the 167th Pennsylvania) was incorporated into it. However, the brigade that succeeded it, which included the survivors of the Iron Brigade, was commanded by:
- Col. William W. Robinson (of the 7th Wisconsin): July 1, 1863 – March 25, 1864
- Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler (6th Wisconsin): March 25, 1864 – May 6, 1864
- Col. William W. Robinson: May 6, 1864 – June 7, 1864
- Brig. Gen. Edward S. Bragg (6th Wisconsin): June 7, 1864 – February 10, 1865
- Brig. Gen. John A. Kellogg (6th Wisconsin): February 28, 1865 – April 27, 1865
- Brig. Gen. Henry A. Morrow (24th Michigan): April 27, 1865 – June 5, 1865
In June of 1865, the units of the surviving brigade were separated and reassigned to the Army of the Tennessee.
The regiments in the original Iron Brigade were the following:
- 2nd Wisconsin Infantry
- 6th Wisconsin Infantry
- 7th Wisconsin Infantry
- 19th Indiana Infantry
- 24th Michigan Infantry
The brigade fought in the Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Overland, Richmond-Petersburg, and Appomattox campaigns.
The brigade took pride in its designation, "1st Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps", under which it played a prominent role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. It repulsed the first Confederate offensive through Herbst’s Woods, capturing much of Brig. Gen. James Archer's Confederate brigade, and Archer himself. It suffered tremendous losses in the second, larger Confederate assault that afternoon.
The Iron Brigade, proportionately, suffered the most casualties of any brigade in the Civil War. For example, 61% (1,153 out of 1,885) were casualties at Gettysburg. Similarly, the 2nd Wisconsin, which suffered 77% casualties at Gettysburg, suffered the most throughout the war; it was second only to the 24th Michigan (also an Iron Brigade regiment) in total casualties at Gettysburg. The latter regiment lost 397 out of 496 soldiers, an 80% casualty rate.
Confederate Iron Brigade
A Confederate cavalry brigade was also known as the Iron Brigade, or Shelby’s Iron Brigade. It was in the division commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph O. (Jo) Shelby in the Army of Missouri and fought in Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition in 1864.
References
- Nolan, Alan T., The Iron Brigade, A Military History, Indiana University Press, 1961, ISBN 0-253-34102-7.
External links
- Iron Brigade website (http://www.ironbrigade.net/)