The Iron Brigade was a Union brigade during the Civil War. Itwas composed of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan men. Made up of2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin, and the 19th Indiana regiments, andthe 24th Michigan volunteers. Closely associated with it wasbattery B of the 4th U.S. The Iron Brigade seems so havehad more men killed in battle than any other Federal unit.Additionally, the North may not have won the Battle of Gettysburghad it not been for the Iron Brigade.The United States' most famous 'Iron Brigade' would be thatwhich was the First Brigade, First Division, First Corp, Army ofthe Potomac. It was the only all Western brigade serving with theArmy of the Potomac during the American Civil War.

It wasoriginally called the 'Black Hat Brigade' after their distinctive'Hardee' style hats, issued to them at the personal expense oftheir original commander, Brigadier General John Gibbon. The IronBrigade experienced its first battle as a unit at the Battle ofBrawner's Farm or Groveton, on August 28, 1862.

The brigade at thetime was composed of the 2nd Wisconsin, 6th Wisconsin, 7thWisconsin, and 19th Indiana. Only the 2nd Wisconsin had seencombat.

Toward evening, they were marching north northeast on theWarrenton Turnpike when a Confederate battery deployed to theirleft. When General Gibbon ordered skirmishers forward, theydiscovered thousands of Confederates concealed in the woods.Sending in the rest of the brigade, they were met with a viciousvolley that felled dozens of men, and since most of them had neverbeen in combat before, it would not have been out of the ordinaryfor the entire brigade to break and run in panic. But instead, theBlack Hats not only did NOT run, but they halted and returned avolley. For an hour and a half, the two lines, composed ofConfederates from Ewell's and Taliaferro's Divisions and theFederals composed of Gibbon's Black Hat Brigade and two regimentsfrom Doubleday's Brigade shot each other to pieces at a range ofhardly 75 yards, easy range for the rifles both sides were equippedwith. When darkness fell, neither side fell back, and both sideswere aiming at the muzzle flashes of the opposing sides' rifles.Eventually, the Federals fell back in good order. The Black HatBrigade suffered 900 casualties of the 2,100 engaged, but they hadgone toe to toe with some of the best units in the Confederate Armyand the 'green' troops had held their ground admirably.Several weeks later, at the Battle of South Mountain inMaryland, on September 14th, 1862, the Black Hats (at this timethey were the 4th Brigade of the 1st Division, 1st Corp) advancedagainst Colquitt's Brigade, and drove the veteran and well placeddefenders back to the top of the mountain. They lost 318 men in theattack.

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Witnessing the charge from several miles away and hearinghow furious the firing was against the Black Hats, General GeorgeB. McClellan is said to have remarked, 'My God! Those men must bemade of iron!' The name stuck, and from then on, the Black Hatswould be called 'The Iron Brigade.'

At the Battle of Antietam/ Sharpsburg, the Iron Brigade was oneof the Federal units that advanced through the famed Cornfield onthe battlefield. Elements of the Brigade struck part of the famedConfederate 'Stonewall Brigade,' perhaps the most famous Civil Warunit of all time. The Iron Brigade met the Stonewall Brigade headon and swept them from the field and continued on to the mainConfederate line in the West Woods, where they were finally calledback because they had outpaced the rest of the Union units thatwere attacking. They lost 380 men in their short fight.They were lightly engaged at Chancellorsville.On July 1st, 1863, they were among the first Union infantry toarrive at the Gettysburg battlefield. Now including the 24thMichigan, the Iron Brigade crashed head on into Archer'sConfederate brigade, some of the most tenacious attackers in theConfederate Army. After the Confederates fired a tremendous volley,they expected the Union troops to run, thinking they were onlymilitia. But by now the Iron Brigade's black hats had become soiconic and feared by Confederates, that the Confederates stoppedcold in their tracks.

One Rebel is said to have shouted, 'There arethose d.mn Black Hatted fellows again. Tain't no militia, it's theArmy of the Potomac!' The Iron Brigade charged, and capturedhundreds of prisoners, including General Archer himself, the firstof Robert E. Lee's generals to be captured in combat. Union MajorGeneral John Reynold's was shot as he personally led the IronBrigade into the woods, shouting, 'Forward! Drive those fellows outof there!

Forward, for God's sake, Forward!' (In case you haven't noticed, it always seems that the IronBrigade is fighting the best units in the Confederate Army andwinning every time.)The 6th Wisconsin, meanwhile, had been held in reserve, andspearheaded a charge on Confederates who had occupied a RailroadCut. They, too, captured hundreds of prisoners.Later that afternoon, however, fresh Confederate troop underGeneral James Pettigrew hit the depleted Iron Brigade. Heavilyoutnumbered and outflanked, the Iron Brigade fell back underoverwhelming pressure. After a heroic defense of McPherson's Ridge,they fell back through town and took up defensive positions onCulp's Hill, where they were lightly engaged for the rest of thebattle. The brigade lost about 70% of its men in hardly an hour ofcombat.

It inflicted 75% casualties on a single North Carolinaregiment.Much of the unit was sent home on furlough after the battle.Eventually enough were reorganized, but 'Eastern' regiments filledits ranks, and much of the unit pride was lost, although it servedfaithfully for the rest of the war. They remain one of the mostrespected units in United States history to this day.

Iron Brigade unit badge, a design, showing the, and, regiments, who were the core of the Brigade, on a historical marker, at.ActiveOctober 1861-June 1865CountryAllegianceBranchTypeSizeFive regiments:Nickname(s)The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, King's Wisconsin BrigadeEngagements.CommandersNotablecommandersBrig. Gen.The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an in the during the. Although it fought entirely in the, it was composed of regiments from three Western states that are now within the region of the. Noted for its strong discipline, its unique uniform appearance and its tenacious fighting ability, the Iron Brigade suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any brigade in the war.The nickname 'Iron Brigade', with its connotation of fighting men with iron dispositions, was applied formally or informally to a number of units in the Civil War and in later conflicts. The Iron Brigade of the West was the unit that received the most lasting publicity in its use of the nickname. Contents.Nickname The Iron Brigade initially consisted of the, and, the, Battery B of the, and was later joined by the. This particular composition of men, from the three Western states, led it to be sometimes referred to as the 'Iron Brigade of the West'.

They were known throughout the war as the 'Black Hats' because of the black 1858 model issued to Army, rather than the blue worn by most other Union Army units.The all-Western brigade, composed of Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana troops, earned their famous nickname, while under the command of, who led the brigade into its first battle. On August 28, 1862, during the preliminary phases of the, it stood up against attacks from a superior force under on the Brawner farm.

The designation 'Iron Brigade' is said to have originated during the brigade's action at Turners Gap, during the, a prelude to the in September 1862., commanding, approached Army of the Potomac commander Maj. Gen., seeking orders. As the Western men advanced up the National Road, forcing the Confederate line all the way back to the gap, 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 brigade 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 supposedly was elated and rode off without his orders. There are a few stories related to the origin, but the men immediately adopted the name, which was quickly used in print after South Mountain.

The commander of the combined three-state Western Iron BrigadeThe unit that eventually became known as the Iron Brigade was activated on October 1, 1861, upon the arrival in, of the 7th Wisconsin. It was combined into a brigade with the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin, and the 19th Indiana, under the command of Brig. And were originally known as King's Wisconsin Brigade. The governor of Wisconsin, had hoped to see the formation of an entirely Wisconsin brigade, but the Army unwittingly frustrated his plans by transferring the from King's brigade and including the Hoosiers instead.

This brigade was initially designated the 3rd Brigade of Maj. 's division of the Army of the Potomac, and then the 3rd Brigade, I Corps.McDowell's I Corps did not join the bulk of the Army of the Potomac in the. In June 1862 it was redesignated the III Corps of Maj. Now under the command of, a regular Army officer from who chose to stay with the Union, King's brigade was designated the 4th Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps, and it saw its first combat in the. Almost immediately following the Union defeat in the, the III Corps was transferred back to the Army of the Potomac and redesignated the I Corps, under the command of; Gibbon's brigade became the 4th Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps.The joined the brigade on October 8, 1862, prior to the in December.

On February 27, 1863, the brigade, now under the command of Brig. Gen., was redesignated the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps.The brigade commanders, disregarding temporary assignments, were:Brig.

Risk 2. Whichever version is installed by the host of the game is the version that will be used for each player. The two versions of Risk II are however, completely compatible with each other when used in multi-player games online or across a network. In the European version of Risk II a player may only roll one die while in the US version a player may choose to roll two dice or one die (to defend with either one or two battalions).

Rufus King: September 28, 1861 – May 7, 1862Brig. John Gibbon: May 7, 1862 – November 4, 1862Brig. Solomon Meredith: November 25, 1862 – July 1, 1863 (wounded at )The Iron Brigade lost its all-Western status on July 16, 1863, following its crippling losses at Gettysburg, when 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. (of the 7th Wisconsin): July 1, 1863 – March 25, 1864Brig. (6th Wisconsin): March 25, 1864 – May 6, 1864Col.: May 6, 1864 – June 7, 1864Brig.

(6th Wisconsin): June 7, 1864 – February 10, 1865Col. (6th Wisconsin): February 28, 1865 – April 27, 1865Col. (24th Michigan): April 27, 1863 – June 5, 1865In June 1865, the units of the surviving brigade were separated and reassigned to the.The brigade fought in the battles of, and.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, July 1, 1863. It repulsed the first offensive through Herbst's Woods, capturing much of Brig.

Antichamber igg. 's brigade, and Archer himself. The 6th Wisconsin (along with 100 men of the brigade guard) are remembered for their famous charge on an unfinished railroad cut north and west of the town, where they captured the flag of the 2nd Mississippi and took hundreds of Confederate prisoners.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 third highest total throughout the war; it was third behind the 24th Michigan (also an Iron Brigade regiment) as well as the in total casualties at Gettysburg. The Michigan regiment lost 397 out of 496 soldiers, an 80% casualty rate. The 1st Minnesota actually suffered the highest casualty percentage of any Union regiment in a single Civil War engagement during the battle of Gettysburg, losing 216 out of 262 men (82%).

The last surviving member of the Iron Brigade, Josiah E. Cass of, died on 2 December 1947 of a fractured hip suffered in a fall. He was 100 years old. Soldiers, from the, Company C, of the Iron Brigade, wearing a mix of blue and gray uniforms and the distinctive. The state militia uniforms were eventually replaced to avoid being mistaken as soldiers. From a rare, degraded, photograph, circa 1861.The uniform of the Iron brigade differed some what to the standard uniform of the Union army at the time. It was designed to be more of a dress uniform that resembled a suit rather than the more common infantry men's kit.

It consisted of:A Hardee black hat: A tall blocked, brimmed black hat, featuring a brass infantry bugle, a red I Corps circle patch and brass numbers/letters of the front to indicate units and companies. A brass eagle badge on the side used to hold the brim up in a slouch, and finally an ostrich feather plume.Union Frock coat.: A long, dark blue coat that came down to the mid thighs, resembling that of an officers coat. Fitted with a single breasted row of nine brass buttons, each with the federal eagle on them. The cuffs and collars had light blue trimming and two smaller brass buttons on the cuffs. The inside of the coat was lined with cotton to make a better fit.Light/dark blue trousers: depending on the period of the war and unit, trousers versed from light, sky blue to a dark blue the same colour as the coat. Herdegen, p. 244.

Nolan, p. 28. Eicher, p.

334. Dorsey, p.

50. Herdegen, Beaudot, p. 207. Associated Press, 'Last Survivor Dies', The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Wednesday 3 December 1947, Volume 65, Number 203, page 2. Clemens, Tom, (August 2000 presentation to the, Civil War Round Table.). War Department, United States. See unit crest illustration atReferences.

Beaudot, William J.