Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-08-28
The Iron Brigade.

pluck won for itself the appellation,
"The Iron Brigade"
We will state for the benefit of those |
unacquainted with military terms, that,
in general, four regiments compose a |
brigade, four brigades division, and |
four divisions corps.
The four regiments permanently COM
posing this brigade were the second,
sixth and seventh Wisconsin, and the
nineteenth Indiana.
1t was known at first as ''Gen. Kings
Brigade, y then as ''Gen. Gibbons Brig
ade," until it came, by its bravery and
fighting qualities to be better known as
The Iron Brigade of the West
Gen. Rufus King, its first commander,
was Wisconsin man, and graduate
of West Point. Early in the war he
offered his services TO the Government,
and was appointed to the command of
the Wisconsin troops then on the ground.
But he was soon placed at the head of a
division, and Gen. Gibbon succeeded
him.
In the organization of the army in the
fall of '61 the Iron Brigade was assigned
Gen. Mcclellan to Gen. McDowell's by
division of the Army of the Potomac.
Little active service was seen until
late the following spring. Meanwhile
they were twice reviewed by Gen. Nc
Dowell, and at the second review Secre-
tary Seward and Lord Lyons, the Eng
lish Minister, were present.
AT grand review, later, on March
9th, "'The Wisconsin troops, particu-
larly the Second, were highly compli-
mented for their soldierly appearance
and thorough acquaintance with mill
tary drill At this time Gen. Mellow
ell being the senior in rank commanded
the first corps, Brigadier General King,
the first division of the first corps, and
Col. Lysander Cutler of the sixth Wis
consin volunteers, the fourth brigade of
the first division of the first corps, and
that was the brigade to which the Sec
ond, sixth aud seventh Wisconsin regi-
ments belonged. On May s, 81, Capt.
John Gibbon. of Battery B, U. S. Ar
tillery, having been appointed Brigadier
General of Volunteers, was assigned to
the command of the fourth brigade,
and Col. Cutler returned to his regi-
ment.
Gen. Gibbon soon showed himself to
be rigid disciplnarian. All military
requirements must be complied with to
the letter. But his ideas of the duty of
private soldier were no less strict than
those which governed his action as a
commander.
The time from May TO August was
occupied in marching and counter
marching in the vicinity of Fredericks-
burg, during which time several Skin
mishes took place. But the first battle
in which the Brigade Gas such) took part
was at Gainesville, on August 2Sth.
This was hard fought battle, and all
accounts agree in crediting the whole
brigade with the most heroic conduct.
Then, if not before they began to be
worthy of their reputation as The Iron
Brigade of the West" The total loss
of the brigade on this day was seven
\ b,,pIraI nj fho,,
third of the command. The Second
suffered most, losing more than half of
its four hundred and forty-nine men.
To follow the fortunes of these brave
men through each of the twenty battles
in which they engaged, to attempt to
enumerate the heroic actions credited
to them, which have become a matter
of history, would require volume.
We can do little more than give list
of the battles in which they rendered
distinguished service: GAINESVILLE, Sec
ond Bull Run, South Mountain, Ante
tam. Fredericksburg, Fitzhugh Cross
irg, Charlottesville, Gettysburg, Mine
Run, Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spottsyl-
vana, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Peters
burg, Weldon Railroad, Hatcher's Run,
Gravelly Run, Five Forks, Appomattox.
South Mountain and Antietam left the
Brigade badly decimated, and the
twenty fourth Michigan reinforced
them.
The following order of General Glib
tietam, will show that the Iron Brigade
came under the particular notice of
General Mcclellan. and received his
highest commentator:
HEADQUARTERS GIBBONS BRIGADE, !
near Sharpesburg, Oct. 9TH 1862,
Special order, No. -.
II is with great qualification that the
Brigadier General Commanding an
nounces to the Wisconsin troops the fol-
lowing Endorsement upon letter to his
Excellency, the Governor of Wisconsin.
HIS greatest pride will always be to
hHO" lndI SuCH cHcOuluiuS from SuCu u
source are always merited:
! beg to add to this Endorsement the
expression of my great admiration of
the conduct of the three Wisconsin
regiments in General Gibbons Brigade.
| have seen them under fire acting in
manner that reflects the greatest pos
sible credit and honor upon themselves
and their state. They are equal to the
best troops in any army in the world.
(Signed.) GEO. b. MCCLELLAN.
BY Command of Brigadier General
Gibbon
(Signed.) j. p. WooD, Assistant
Adjutant General.
We learn from Gen. Calls that the
famous John Burns of Gettysburg fought
with the Iron Brigade in that battle, his
gun having been furnished by the Cen
eral himself
Although as above stated, GAINESVILLE
was the first general engagement IN
which the Brigade fought the Second
Wisconsin had seen some active service,
particularly at Blackburn's Ford, and
Bull Run
The Indiana aud Michigan regiments
belonging to this brigade rendered eff
cient service, but as the substance of