Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-09-14
GIBBONS GIANTS.
Meeting OF the Old Iron Brigade Called By the Old
GnmmandAr In Milwaukee,

arc that there will will be a general at
tendance. A local committee has the
making of all due arrangements in hand,
and the members thereof are taking
deep interest in their duties. A brigade
badge has been prepared, and each
member of the Second, Sixth and Seventh
Wisconsin, and the Nineteeth Indiana,
and Twenty-fourth Michigan, who at
tends the meeting, viii be presented
with n The badge is one of the most
beautiful yet made. 1t is eight inches
long and two in width. The material
is cream colored satin, and the lettering
plain and handsome. On it is the red
badge, indicating the First Brigade,
First Division of the First Army Corps.
Within the circle appears the names
Reynolds and ''Wadsworth," the
former having commanded the corps
and the latter the division. Both were
killed in action, while at the front-Rey-
nolds at Gettysburg and Wadsworth al
the Wilderness. At the top appears IRE
union 1892" Beneath this, "Iron
Brigade" in plain letters. Immediately
oyer the corps badge are the words, in
semi-circle, First Army Corps" and
under the corps badge, in like manner,
Army of the Potomac" ''Organized
1861. Disbanded 1861 next appears,
and then, follows a list of the b~rigadiers
who had command. The names are:
Rufus King, John Gibbon, Solomon
Meredith, Lysander Cutler, Edward S.
Bragg. This comprises a list only OF
the brigadier-generals regularly as.
signed.
TEMPORARILY IN COMMAND.
Itmay be added that Cutler, Meredith
and Bragg were on various occasions in
temporary command while yet colonies.
Among others who had command al
different times temporarily are Col. w.
w. Robinson, of the Seventh Wisconsin,
now consul at Madagascar; Col.
Lucius Fairchild, Second Wisconsin,
made a brigadier after Gettysburg:
Col. Henry A. Morrow, Twenty-Fourth
Michigan, and Col. John A.. Kellogg,
Sixth Wisconsin, who was brevetted a
brigadier-general for gallant and meri-
torous service while in command of the
brigade. Col. Robinson commanded il
on several occasions, and for a consider
able time. Fairchild commanded only
a sholt time. Morrow who is now
lieutenant-colonel in the regular army
commanded several weeks at q time
and was brevetted a brigadiel-general
Kellogg was assigned late in February
1865, and retained command until tn,
close of the war. OF the entire list O
the men who commanded the Brigade.
including those regularly and temper
arily assigned, Gen. King is the onr
one who was not wounded during tn,
war. Gibbon, Meredith, iCutler
Bragg, Robinson and Morrow wer,
wounded several times.
But to return to the badge. Below
the list of commanders are the names 0
the regiments, in red, and following
them comes a list of battles in whicl
the Brigade fought. The list does no
include a large number of skirmishes-
only the battles, as follows: Gainesville
Second Bull Run, South Mountain
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Fitzhugl
Crossing, Charlottesville, Gettysburg
Mine Run. Wilderness, Laurel Hill
SpottSylyania. North Anna, Cold Har
Dor, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad
Hatcher's Run, Grossly Run, Fiv'
Forks and Appomattox.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME.
A reporter asked a member of tn
Brigade when it got its name.
1T came by its honesty my boy.
is no picked-up name. The Brigad
under Gibbon did such good fighting a
South Mountain and Antietam, unde
the eye of Mcclellan, who then com
manded the Army Of the Potomac, tina
he published a special order in which h
spoke of the Brigade as being the equa
of any troops in the world, volunteer o
regular, and said they were entitled t
be known as the Iron Brigade Of tn
Vest From that time-September
1862-to this, it has been called tn
Iron Brigade.
"Who among the men who command
the Brigade, is the most popular wit
the men to-day?"
THAT Is a hard question, but a fai
one, | suppose. Gen. John Gibbon, o
the regular army. now stationed at For
Snelling-the officer who spent si1
months in making soldiers of raw ma
t@erial, and led the Brigade into T. frs
battle, and was with 1t until after Ante
tam, when they took him away from IL
to command a division in another par
of the army-is deeply rooted in thu
hearts and affections of the men. AnC
| guess he thinks rs much of them a
they do of him. When he came to The
reunion of 1880 the boys made them
selves hoarse cheering him. 1t may
seem absurd to you, but | sincerely be
lieye that there is not a survivor among
the men who served in the Iron Brigade
while he commanded it who would moi
at the risk of his life, stand between
Gibbon and harm. They not only honor
and admire, but they love him. | CUES.
none of the other commanders viii fell
badly if say the Brigade likes Gibbor
better than it does any of them