The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory PDF Download

Author: Lance J. Herdegen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781611211061
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Iron Brigade is one of the most celebrated military organisations of the American Civil War. Although it is primarily known for its remarkable stand on the first bloody day at Gettysburg, its stellar service from the earliest days of the war all the way to Appomattox Court House is routinely ignored. The Iron Brigade in the Civil War is based on decades of archival research and includes scores of previously unpublished letters, photos, journals, and other primary accounts. This well researched and written tour de force, which includes reunion and memorial coverage until the final expiration of the last surviving member, will be the last word on the Iron Brigade for the foreseeable future. "When we were young", explained one Black Hat veteran many years after the war, "we hardly realised that we had fought on more fields of battle than the Old Guard of Napoleon, and have stood fire in far greater firmness." Here, at long last, is the full story of how young farm boys, shopkeepers, river men and piney camp boys in a brigade forged with iron helped save the Union. AUTHOR: Lance J. Herdegen is the award-winning author of several books on Civil War topics. His latest work, Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign, won the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award. Lance is the former director of the Institute for Civil War Studies at Carroll University and presently chairs the Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. He was recently inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club's Hall of Fame and lives in Spring Prairie, Walworth County, Wisconsin. SELLING POINTS: The first book-length account of this legendary combat unit from Bull Run to the grand march up Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington ILLUSTRATIONS: 68 b/w photographs & 15 maps

Author: Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781985645042
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the fighting by soldiers in the brigade *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "They must be made of iron." - Army of the Potomac commander George McClellan, in reference to the Iron Brigade during the Maryland Campaign The title of "Iron Brigade" has been given to a number of different U.S. Army brigades over the last century and a half, but it has become almost entirely synonymous with the Civil War soldiers who fought in the brigade for the Army of the Potomac. Also known as the "Iron Brigade of the West," "Rufus King's Brigade" and the "Black Hat Brigade," the Iron Brigade was comprised of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments, the 19th Indiana, Battery B of the 4th U.S. Light Artillery, and later, the 24th Michigan. Wisconsin governor Alexander William Randall had hoped to organize an all-Wisconsin brigade to contribute to the Union's Civil War effort, but the U.S. Army dispersed Wisconsin regiments to different areas as needs arose. Nevertheless, Wisconsin regiments comprised a majority of the brigade, and it would distinguish itself as the only all-Western brigade in the Army of the Potomac. It would come to be recognized for its unique uniforms, strong discipline, and "iron" disposition, earning the name during the Maryland Campaign both for its tenacity and for the costs paid by fighting so hard. Naturally, historians have focused on the battles where the Iron Brigade earned its name and demonstrated its reputation. Renowned Civil War historian Alan T. Nolan wrote and published the most complete military history of the Iron Brigade in 1961, tracing the brigade's activity in the Civil War from the first mustering of Wisconsin regiments to the battle of Gettysburg. Nolan's The Iron Brigade: A Military History served as the authority on Iron Brigade history for decades and called Gettysburg the Iron Brigade's "last stand," arguing that the battle was where the brigade lost its Western character. Since the publication of Nolan's book in 1961, however, new sources-including letters and journals of men in the brigade-have been discovered, providing new depth to the history of the Iron Brigade. Thus, scholars in more recent years have contributed to the history of the Iron Brigade by focusing on the character and contributions of different regiments within the Iron Brigade, or by picking up where Nolan left off at the Battle of Gettysburg. Historians like Lance J. Herdegen argue that there is much more to be learned about the Iron Brigade by examining its struggle in the years after Gettysburg. In The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter (2012), Herdegen provides a deeper account not only of the remnants of the Iron Brigade in the last two years of the Civil War, but also of its individual soldiers during and after the war. Exploring the experiences of members of the Iron Brigade before, during and after the Civil War contributes to a better understanding of their rise to fame and glory, and the cost of their sacrifice. The Iron Brigade: The History of the Famous Union Army Brigade During the Civil War traces the development of the Iron Brigade in the early years of the Civil War, examining the battles that fostered its reputation as one of the best combat infantry brigades in the Union army. In addition, this book looks at what the later years of the war and thereafter meant to Black Hat veterans, and what made men from the western frontier want to fight in a war far from home. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Iron Brigade like never before.

Author: Alan T. Nolan
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253208637
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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"I am immensely impressed . . . this particular Brigade needed a book of its own and now it has one which is definitely first-rate. . . . A fine book." —Bruce Catton "One of the '100 best books ever written on the Civil War.'" —Civil War Times Illustrated " . . . remains one of the best unit histories of the Union Army during the Civil War." —Southern Historian ". . . The Iron Brigade is the title for anyone desiring complete information on this military unit . . ." —Spring Creek Packet, Chuck Hamsa This is the story of the most famous unit in the Union Army, the only all-Western brigade in the Eastern armies of the Union—made up of troops from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Author: Lance Herdegen
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0786748451
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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The recently discovered journal of William Ray of the Seventh Wisconsin is the most important primary source ever of soldier life in one of the war's most famous fighting organizations. No other collection of letters or diaries comes close to it.Two days before his regiment left Wisconsin in 1861, the twenty-three-year-old blacksmith began, as he described it, "to keep account" of his life in what became the "Iron Brigade of the West." Ray's journal encompasses all aspects of the enlisted man's life-the battles, the hardships, the comradeship. And Ray saw most of the war from the front rank. He was wounded at Second Bull Run, again at Gettysburg, and yet a third time in the hell of the Wilderness. He penned something in his journal almost every day-occasionally just a few lines, at other times thousands of words. Ray's candid assessments of officers and strategy, his vivid descriptions of marches and the fighting, and his evocative tales of foraging and daily army life fill a large gap in the historical record and give an unforgettable soldier's-eye view of the Civil War.

Author: Lance J. Herdegen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781932714838
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This is the first book-length account of the Iron Brigade's experiences in Pennsylvania during that fateful summer of 1863. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, including previously unpublished accounts, Herdegen details for the first time the exploits of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and 24th Michigan regiments during the entire camp

Author: Lance J. Herdegen
Publisher: Savas Publishing
ISBN: 1940669413
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 359

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Book Description
The storied Iron Brigade carved out a unique reputation during the Civil War. Its men fought on many hard fields, but they performed their most legendary exploits just outside a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg on the first day of July in 1863. There were many heroic actions that morning and afternoon, but the fight along an unfinished deep scar in the ground north of the Chambersburg Pike was one never forgotten, and is the subject of Lance J. HerdegenÕs and William J. K. BeaudotÕs award-winning (and long out of print) In the Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg: The 6th Wisconsin of the Iron Brigade and its Famous Charge. The railroad cut fighting was led mainly by the ÒCalico BoysÓ of the 6th Wisconsin Volunteers. Detached from the balance of the Iron Brigade, the Badgers of the 6th charged nearly 200 yards to meet a Confederate brigade that had swung into what looked like an ideal defensive position along an unfinished railroad cut northwest of town. The fighting was close, brutal, personal, and bloodyÑand it played a key role in the final Union victory. The Wisconsin men always remembered that moment when they stood under Òa galling fireÓ in an open field just north of the pike. Using hundreds of firsthand accounts, many previously unpublished, Herdegen and Beaudot carry their readers into the very thick of the fighting. The air seemed Òfull of bullets,Ó one private recalled, the men around him dropping Òat a fearful rate.Ó Pvt. Amos Lefler was on his hands and knees spitting blood and teeth with Capt. Johnny Ticknor of Company K down and dying just a handful of yards away. Pvt. James P. Sullivan felt defenseless, unable as he was to get his rifle-musket to fire because of bad percussion caps. Rebel buckshot, meanwhile, smashed the canteen and slashed the hip of Sgt. George Fairfield. Behind the Wisconsin men, Lt. Col. Rufus Dawes watched a ÒfearfulÓ and ÒdestructiveÓ Confederate fire crashing with Òan unbroken roar before us. Men were being shot by twenties and thirties.Ó While frantically loading and shooting, the Badgers leaned into the storm of bullets coming from the cut 175 yards away. The Westerners pushed slowly into the field andÑat that very instant when victory or defeat teetered undecidedÑthe ÒJayhawkersÓ in the Prairie du Chien Company began shouting ÒCharge! Charge! Charge!Ó And so they did. Young Dawes lifted his sword and shouted ÒForward! Forward Charge! Align on the Colors!Ó It was at that moment, remembered Cpl. Frank Wallar, a farmer-turned-soldier who would soon make his name known to history by capturing the flag of the 2nd Mississippi, Òthere was a general rush and yells enough to almost awaken the dead.Ó Out of print for nearly two decades, this facsimile reprint and its new Introduction share with yet another generation of readers the story of the 6th WisconsinÕs magnificent charge. Indeed it is their story, and how they remembered it. And it is one you will never forget.

Author: Charles King
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781021761040
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This gripping novel follows a group of soldiers in the famed Iron Brigade, one of the most storied units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. With vivid descriptions of battles and the camaraderie of soldiers in the field, the book provides a compelling look at the experience of warfare during a pivotal period in American history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Author: Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781986130899
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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*Includes pictures of Gettysburg and the area where the Iron Brigade fought *Includes a table of contents Without question, the most famous battle of the American Civil War took place outside of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which happened to be a transportation hub, serving as the center of a wheel with several roads leading out to other Pennsylvanian towns. From July 1-3, Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia tried everything in its power to decisively defeat George Meade's Union Army of the Potomac, unleashing ferocious assaults that inflicted nearly 50,000 casualties in all. Day 1 of the battle would have been one of the 25 biggest battles of the Civil War itself, and it ended with a tactical Confederate victory. To an important degree, Gettysburg played out as it did because of the Union Army's most famous brigade. The title of "Iron Brigade" has been given to a number of different U.S. Army brigades over the last century and a half, but it has become almost entirely synonymous with the Civil War soldiers who fought in the brigade for the Army of the Potomac. Also known as the "Iron Brigade of the West," "Rufus King's Brigade" and the "Black Hat Brigade," the Iron Brigade was comprised of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments, the 19th Indiana, Battery B of the 4th U.S. Light Artillery, and later, the 24th Michigan The Eastern Theater of the Civil War saw the bloodiest and most famous battles, as well as the biggest losses, giving the brigade a chance to demonstrate its mettle during legendary confrontations with Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, most notably during its heroic actions on the first day of Gettysburg, which historian Alan T. Nolan once called the Iron Brigade's "last stand." However, thanks to that stand, the Union army held high ground outside the town after the first day's fighting, and over the next two days, Lee would try and fail to dislodge the Union army with attacks on both of its flanks during the second day and Pickett's Charge on the third and final day. Meade's stout defense held, barely, repulsing each attempted assault, handing the Union a desperately needed victory that ended up being one of the Civil War's turning points. They Must Be Made of Iron: An Historical Drama of the Iron Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg dramatizes some of the most famous fighting of the Civil War. It includes pictures of important people and the parts of the battlefield where the Iron Brigade fought.

Author: Gary W. Gallagher
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253109027
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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A “well-reasoned and timely” (Booklist) essay collection interrogates the Lost Cause myth in Civil War historiography. Was the Confederacy doomed from the start in its struggle against the superior might of the Union? Did its forces fight heroically against all odds for the cause of states’ rights? In reality, these suggestions are an elaborate and intentional effort on the part of Southerners to rationalize the secession and the war itself. Unfortunately, skillful propagandists have been so successful in promoting this romanticized view that the Lost Cause has assumed a life of its own. Misrepresenting the war’s true origins and its actual course, the myth of the Lost Cause distorts our national memory. In The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History, nine historians describe and analyze the Lost Cause, identifying ways in which it falsifies history—creating a volume that makes a significant contribution to Civil War historiography. “The Lost Cause . . . is a tangible and influential phenomenon in American culture and this book provides an excellent source for anyone seeking to explore its various dimensions.” —Southern Historian

Author: Lance J. Herdegen
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253218254
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
The dramatic story of how the backwoods frontier boys of Indiana and Wisconsin became soldiers of an "Iron Brigade," a unit so celebrated that General George McClellan called it "equal to the best troops in any army in the world."