In May 1862 the 2nd Regiment together with the 6th and 7th Wisconsin and 19th Indiana were placed under the command of Gen. John Gibbon. He issued an order to standardize the uniform adding white gloves and gaiters to the dark blue frock coat, blue trousers, and requiring all to have a black felt hat, the most distinctive part of the uniform, the Hardee, or Jeff Davis, hat which was worn with the left brim turned up and a black plume on the right side. From this hat the brigade acquired the name "The Black Hat Brigade'. In Sept. 1862 at South Mountain, Md., General McClellan, said, as he witnessed the IRON BRIGADE break the center of an entrenched battle line, 'these men must be made of iron'. On another occasion Gen. McClellan said, "I have seen them under fire acting in such a manner as to reflect the greatest credit upon themselves and their State (Wis.). They are equal to the best soldiers in the world. It is not the numbers of men but the right kind of men that makes the 'IRON BRIGADE.' The IRON BRIGADE was later joined by the 24th Michigan to help replace heavy losses sustained in battle. Gibbon's Battery B of the 4th U.S. Artillery was assigned to the the 'Iron Brigade' for artillery support. The Battery had been organized in March 1821 and had participated in the Florida War of 1837, at Odgensburg in 1842 and 1843 when there was Canadian frontier trouble. In 1845 it was in General Taylor's Army of Observation's the Rio Grande and in the Mexican War provided distinguished service at Buena Vista. To fill out its ranks, volunteers from the volunteer regiments in the Brigade were selected, and attached to the Battery, many from the Second Wisconsin. They left Maryland in late June of 1863 to clear the North of rebel troops.

"The Iron Brigade was, as the rest of the army, mad clear through." Cornelius Wheeler Diary, June 30, 1863 *"At an early hour, Wednesday, July 1, the men partook of their frugal meal of hardtack and coffee. The Pennsylvania line had been reached and passed , and the forces of the enemy must be reached very soon, but we did not suspect that the foe was within a few hours' march. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful season of the year. The fields were either green with grass or yellow with the golden grain.

Nature had put forth her lovliest colors. Here and there an old Pennsylvania farmer and the women and children would greet us loyally and pleasantly as we passed by, little dreaming that they were living near a spot that was destined soon to be the battleground of one of the greatest battles of the century. The Iron Brigade marched along the Emmitsburg turnpike, and when within sight of Gettysburg we could see General Buford's cavalry dismounted, fighting with the enemy's infantry, west of the town. General Reynolds had gone forward to confer with General Buford, when, as we reached a point about a mile from town, a staff officer came dashing up to General Meredith and directed him to form his brigade in line and charge the enemy in McPherson's Woods. The brigade formed in line on the double quick, in order - the Second and Seventh Wisconsin, Nineteenth Indiana and Twenty-fourth Michigan (the Sixth Wisconsin being held in reserve to be used whenever required); the men loaded and fixed bayonets while on the move. The Brigade passed rapidly over the undulating ground between the Emmitsburg road and a rail fence that ran parallel to our lines a few hundred yards from McPherson's Woods. We were delayed at this fence a few moments caused by this obstruction, and the terrific fire of the enemy which made great gaps in our line. Then the brigade pulled itself together and with a cheer, dashed forward. As we reached the edge of the timber, the enemy's lines began to waver and then break; General Archer, whose brigade was in front, evidently refused to be borne to the rear with his troops and was taken prisoner together with about two hunded and fifty of his men." .

(There are as many versions of the number of Archer's men that were captured as there are accounts, ranging from 250 to 1000. There is no disagreement about Archer's reaction at being greeted by West Point classmate, General Doubleday, when being escorted to the rear after being captured by Pvt. Patrick Maloney, Co. G, Second Wisconsin. "Good morning, Archer, how are you? I am glad to see you." Archer replied "Well I am not glad to see you by a damned sight." Private Maloney's glory was short lived. He was killed later that day in the retreat to Cemetery Hill.) "When General Archer's Brigade broke to the rear, some of his men would occasionally dodge behind trees and fire and while this was going on General Reynolds rode up to the edge of the grove with his aides, Riddle and Wadsworth, and" (turning to urge on the Second, he was shot behind the right ear and fell dead. Doubleday became the senior officer.)

"The death of General Reynolds was a sad blow to the army. While it is not possible to see how his inspiring gallantry could have overcome the numerical majority of the enemy on this first day of the great battle, there is little doubt that his skill and courage would have added materially to our strength and that his firey impatience would have hastened the arrival of reinforcements... ....there was a lull in the fighting which lasted about two hours. This time was occupied by us in re-forming our little line of battle.

The Nineteenth Indiana was placed on the left of the brigade which was also the extreme left of the First Corps. The Twenty-fourth Michigan on it's right, the Seventh Wisconsin next and the Second Wisconsin on the right of the brigade. In the meantine the enemy was reenforced by the arrival of General Ewell's Corps, and the first two divisions of the Eleventh Corps came to the assistance of the First Corps. Two-thirds of Lee's army then confronted the smallest corps in the Army of the Potomac and part of another placed on the right of the line. This was the position when, at half past one o'clock, the general attack was made upon the combined corps of Hill and Ewell. They came down upon us in two lines of battle, their right overlapping the Union left by a quarter of a mile. Their bearing was magnificent and their alignment seemed to be perfect; in some instances their colors were advanced several paces in front of the line. Pettigrew's Brigade came on opposite of the Iron Brigade.

Lieut. James Stewart in command of Battery B fired shell until they appeared on the ridge east of Willoughby's Run; then he poured into them canister with terrible effect. The old brigade could keep the enemy back in front, but they kept getting around out flanks until we were obliged to fall back to prevent being surrounded. I think it was six times that we re-formed our little line and made a heroic time each time before reaching the town, but the struggle was so unequal that we were finally compelled to give way and retreat to Cemetery Heights, south of town." "...I know that when I passed up the street leading to Cemetery Hill, the rebels had appeared at each end of the cross streets, and it was like running a gauntlet as the bullets came from both sides. At Cemetery Heights the artillery having a good position, our troops naturally concentrated, and a stand was made which the rebels did not seem to care to contest, and the first day's battle at Gettysburg was ended. Late in the evening the Iron Brigade, then reduced to the size of a very small regiment, was placed in position on Culp's Hill to the right of the Baltimore Pike." 1st Lieut. Cornelius Wheeler, paper of April 5, 1893

The Second Wisconsin lost 233 of 302 engaged at Gettysburg, Lieut. Col. George H. Stevens was killed and Col. Lucius Fairchild received a wound that caused him to lose his arm in the morning of the first day but that did not prove sufficient to stop him from rising to wave at his boys in the afternoon and call "Stick to 'em boys! Stay with 'em! You'll fetch 'em finally! ".

They were at Bull Run, Gainesville, Second Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam and Gettysburg and Orange Court House, Beaver Dam Station, Rappahannock Station, Sulfur Springs Fredricksburg, Fizhugh's Crossing, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Jericho Ford, Bethesda Church, and Cold Harbor. The Second Wisconsin fought in most of the major battles in the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania area. It may be there is no prouder record of service in the Union Army that that of the Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. No other regiment in the entire Union Army was as active and sustained as great a percentage of killed in the saving of the Union.

*All quotes not otherwise attributed are from a paper by Wm H. Harries, read Oct. 8, 1895

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