A Brief History of the Original 7th Wisconsin Brawner's Farm near Bull Run, August 26, 1862:          The Iron Brigade met Stonewall Jackson commanding 4 infantry brigades with artillery. Outnumbered almost three to one, the Seventh Wisconsin and the rest of the Iron Brigade stood face to face slugging it out with the enemy, no more than seventy-five yards apart. Over two hours later, they had to be ordered to retreat. The Second and Seventh Wisconsin regiments were the last to leave.   They became known as the Black Hat Brigade. Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862:         The Iron Brigade fought near the Warrenton Turnpike. They finally were ordered to withdraw along with what was left of King's Division when Longstreet's Corps under Stonewall Jackson overran Bald Hill. Turner's Gap-South Mountain, September 14, 1862:         As the Iron Brigade advanced up Turner's Gap, the enemy fire was tremendous. By 8:00 pm, the advance had almost stalled. The rifles of the Sixth Wisconsin regiment were too hot to load. The Seventh Wisconsin in front of the stone wall held by the defending Confederates was almost out of ammunition, having already emptied the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded. The Confederates, thinking that the brigade was retreating because of the slackening fire, began an advance. With fixed bayonets, the Seventh Wisconsin charged the advancing Confederates. Firing at close range, the Seventh broke the gray line and the Confederates retreated.   They were renamed the Iron Brigade, although there was already a brigade with that name.  The name stuck to Gibbon's brigade. Antietam, September 17, 1862:         The Iron Brigade advanced through Miller's Farm with the 2nd and 6th on the left and the 19th Indiana on the extreme right. The 2nd and 6th advanced towards Lawton's, Hays' and Trimble's brigades through the cornfield with the 7th and 19th Indiana advancing through the West Woods. Seeing the left flank of the Iron Brigade being chewed up piecemeal, the 7th and 19th wheeled left and poured enfiladed fire into the Confederate line, forcing them to retreat.         The  Confederates fled with the 7th and 19th following on to Dunker Church. There, the Rebels rallied and drove the Iron Brigade back through the cornfield and up against the turnpike fence. General Gibbon himself worked on the 4th U.S.'s Battery B cannons to help save them. The reinforced Confederates led by General Early came through the West Woods, and gave enfiladed fire at 100 yards into the ranks of the 7th and 19th who faced right and fell back to their original position at the Miller barnyard. When the 1st Corps was ordered to withdraw, the Iron Brigade followed after Battery B as it withdrew. Of the 800 men of the Iron Brigade who marched out to battle, 358 men were either killed, wounded or missing. Fredericksburg, December 12-15, 1862:         On December 12, the Iron Brigade crossed the Rappahannock River at Franklin's Crossing, the 7th Wisconsin losing only one man to an artillery shell. They camped at the Bernard house. On a foggy December 13, the Iron Brigade turned and crossed Bowling Green Road, heading for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R.R. line and were chewed up quite a bit by the Confederates who were dug-in in the woods on the other side. This is the day that the newly joined 24th Michigan showed what they were made of and were accepted by the rest of the Iron Brigade. December 14 went by with little accomplished. The 2nd Wisconsin, on picket duty that night, arranged a truce with the Rebels so nothing happened that night, either. On the 15th, the Union forces were ordered to withdraw back across the river. Chancellorsville, May 1-4, 1863:         On April 29, the Iron Brigade with the 14th Brooklyn helped clear the banks of the Rappahannock River of Confederate defenders so the Engineers Corps could build bridges across the river for the Union forces to cross. Under a hail of fire from the other shore, the Iron Brigade crossed the river in pontoon boats and stormed up the bank. The Confederates turned and fled.         On May 2, with Confederate artillery shells falling, The Iron Brigade stood rear guard as part of the Union forces headed back to the river. They then marched north to join the rest of the army at the Chancellor House. Over the next few days, the battle raged back and forth but the Iron Brigade was not heavily engaged during this time. When General Hooker finally decided to withdraw, the Iron Brigade was again rear guard as they marched back to the river on May 6 at 3:30 in the morning. Seminary Ridge-Gettysburg, July 1, 1863:             As the Iron Brigade marched up the road towards Gettysburg, they could hear Bufford's cavalry engaged with the enemy. Around 10:30 in the morning the Iron Brigade, with the 6th Wisconsin in reserve at the Seminary, advanced with fixed bayonets up McPherson's ridge through Bufford's cavalry troops. The 2nd Wisconsin crested the hill and, at 40 yards, smashed into Archer's brigade in McPherson's woods. They rallied and moved forward. The 7th Wisconsin waited for the 19th Indiana and the 24th Michigan to catch up and then poured enfiladed fire into Archer's men. Within a few minutes, the Confederates were routed with General Archer captured by the 2nd Wisconsin. The three regiments chased the Confederates across Willoughby Run and up the hill on the other side where they halted.         The rest of the Union forces on McPherson's ridge were not doing anywhere near as well as the Iron Brigade that morning. General Reynolds was dead and Cutler's brigade had to pull back and reform. As the Iron Brigade waited for the coming Confederate assault, they received a new recruit. John Burns, a resident of Gettysburg and a veteran of the War of 1812, came up to fight with the 7th Wisconsin. The old man joined them carrying his rifle and wearing a swallow-tailed coat with brass buttons and a high black hat. When the Confederates advanced, the Iron Brigade held its fire. When the assault reached Willoughby's Run, they opened fire, determined that no Confederate would cross the stream alive. Very few of them did.         Although the Iron Brigade fought well, they and the rest of the Union line was slowly overpowered. They had fought against immense odds and were now forced to withdraw. When the order came, they slowly retreated. Driven back to a barricade in front of the Seminary beside the guns of Battery B, the Iron Brigade reformed, rallied and held against the advancing gray line as the rest of the Union line withdrew. The last regiment to withdraw was the Seventh Wisconsin Veteran Volunteers with men falling at every step as they retreated.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Back to Menu                                                                                                                                                                                         Beyond Gettysburg