| Iron Brigade
The Iron Brigade fought in all of the major engagements of the Union
Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. The Union commander, General George B. McClellan, is credited with giving the brigade its well earned nickname after observing its stubborn fight at South Mountain. The brigade was known by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia as that "damned Black Hat brigade." The brigade was one of
the most respected fighting units on either side of the Civil War.
The Iron Brigade was composed mostly of men from Wisconsin and consisted of the 2nd, 6th and 7th regiments Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry; the 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry; the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry and Battery B 4th U.S. Artillery. Its battle honors included Gainesville, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and Appomattox.
The design of the hat is based upon a symbol that appears on monuments to the Iron Brigade on the battlefield at Gettysburg, PA. |
