Customer Reviews

The Iron Brigade: A Military History (Great Lakes Connections: The Civil War)

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Nolan's work encompasses the formation of the Brigade until its literal destruction on the first day at Gettysburg, where it's valiant stand in the face of superior Confederate numbers allowed the Union Army to regroup on Cemetery Hill and eventually defeat Lee's Army of Northern Virginia for the very first time in a major battle.

Their first fight at Brawner's Farm established the westerners with the title of the book, and their action in the Cornfield at Antietam and then again at McPherson's Ridge on July 1st, 1863 firmly planted their place in history as the hardest fighting unit in the Army of the Potomac.

Their Hardee hats distinguished them from most of the other Union soldiers, but the Confederates respected the "black hats" who stood like iron in the face of their foe. An extremely good read, with enough detail to make the reader respect the patriotism, heroism and sacrifices made by all the soldiers involved in America's Civil War. The tremendous casualties taken by this unit are incredible by today's comparisons, where we have national debates on just one casualty being taken by our armed services.

Whle it has less detail on the enlisted personnel than Moe's work on the 1st Minnesota, it still brings you dramatically into the battlefield with some of the most notable heroes of the War Between the States.

This is a excellent account of the Iron Brigade, the "Black Hat Brigade", the only all western brigade in the Eastern army. This Federal unit fought at 2nd Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and they fought well. This book was a delight to read and is one of my favourite books on the American Civil War. The book is well written and the narrative of the battles is assisted by easy to understand maps. One of the best unit histories to be printed for some time.

This is the definitive history of what I consider the best brigade-sized unit in either army during the Civil War. Alan Nolan is THE authority on this famous, hard-hitting outfit and this book is a classic. Interesting, vivid, full of valor, heartbreaking losses, and gallant deeds, it chronicles the Army of the Potomac's sole western unit from its meager beginnings, its first engagement at Brawner's Farm the day before Second Bull Run, where it met and defeated the vaunted Stonewall Brigade in a vicious stand-up fight though outnumbered and still an untried unit of well-trained rookies. through the tough tutelage of veteran artilleryman John Gibbon, its first commander of note, to its moment of truth at Gettysburg, where, suffering almost 70% casualties, it goes into the fire unperturbed and outnumbered, both ruining and capturing opposing Confederate units, coming onto the field behind its tattered regimental flags like a wave of blue doom. I first became interested in the Iron Brigade while reading Bruce Catton's excellent trilogy on the Army of the Potomac. Not until this superb volume, however, did the whole story come out in gripping detail and hard-to-put-down narrative. The author paints a vivid picture of the realities of war, what losses can do to even a veteran, well-trained unit, and the value of personal valor and leadership. This book is highly recommended and should be on the book shelf of every Civil War reenactor, historian, and enthusiast.

Nolan's "biography" of the battle-torn Iron Brigade contains the most stirring description of the 1st day of battle at Gettysburg that I have ever read. His account of the bravery and heroism of these men is exceptional. At times I got a bit confused trying to keep track with whom was in charge of which regiment/brigade/division, etc., but this information is vital to the history of the brigade. This book also made me aware of the under-appreciated accomplishments of Lt. Col. Rufus Dawes who should be accorded the same recognition as other noble Union leaders during this battle, such as Chamberlain, Hancock and Warren.

Nolan's book about the Iron Brigade is a fantastic account of the brigade's history, covering its intriguing stories off the field as much as on it.

The book is very easy to follow as it begins with the creation of every regiment in the brigade and ends months after Appomattox.

By using primary accounts and concise analysis, Nolan covers the relationships between the ordinary men and their officers, the relationships between the regiments, the relationships between the brigades and divisional/corps commanders all the way up to McClellan/Hooker and more. In addition, the politics in the brigade and the Army of the Potomac as a whole are covered, and all of this without even getting into the combat history of the brigade.

Nolan covers in depth every combat the Iron Brigade was engaged in while it consisted of just Westerners, and the Epilogue in the book deals with the addition of non Western units to the Brigade, the dissolution of some of the regiments and the mustering out of notable officers through discharges, wounds and death.

In Nolan's interpretation, although it keeps its name, the Iron Brigade is no longer THE Iron Brigade after all the casualties at Gettysburg and the addition of Eastern troops to the brigade on July 18, 1863. Thus the combat from Brawner's Farm to Gettysburg is covered in depth concerning the brigade's actions. The book has exceptional maps for the actions of the brigade on the battlefields and casualty counts for every regiment. The chapter dealing with Day 1 of Gettysburg is the book's most poignant and gripping battle account.

The notes in the book are nearly 100 pages and are nearly as interesting as the narrative itself. In the notes are extended discussions on casualty %s (the Iron Brigade as a whole suffered the most battle casualties by % than any Federal brigade during the war, the 2nd Wisconsin suffered the most by % of any regiment, the 24th Michigan suffered 80% casualties on July 1 etc.) and Nolan's explanation in how he dealt with discrepancies in battle records and accounts. In the epilogue's notes, Nolan offers up post-war details of the officers in the 5 regiments.

One of the best parts of the book is how Nolan really takes issue with Glenn Turner's book on Gettysburg due to its pro-Confederate slant. Turner claims the Iron Brigade was "swept off" the field and calls Old Man Burns, the old citizen who came onto the field and fought with the Iron Brigade, a "cowardly" "bushwhacker" despite fighting in line and being wounded three times during the battle.

This book is perfect for anyone interested in the Civil War or anyone interested in the military history of Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

The author successfully weaves together regimental histories with grand strategic movements and anecdotal observations of the common soldier. All this gives a feel for the the tension and struggle faced by the "heroes" of this story-- the officers and common soldiers of the Iron Brigade. Common men of uncommon bravery and valor. The reader is able to follow the progress of each regiment within the Brigade through Nolan's fast paced, dramatic narrative. A fine reference and requisite companion to Herdegen's "Four Years with the Iron Brigade," since it puts the diaries in the larger context of Brigade movements. I appreciated Nolan's work all the more after Herdegen's book, and wished I had read them together.

Author Alan Nolan has brought the story of the Iron Brigade to life in this excellent study of this famous group of hard fighting midwesterners. Nolan's information is valuable and everything is backed by references. Nolan's style is concise. It was nice that he didn't dwell on subjects like battles or politics not involving the Iron Brigade. He kept the book's chapters flowing and informative. He kept biographies short while the movements and changes in command structure through out the book were covered very well. The fighting at Gettysburg was probably the best coverage and most descriptive although it was most fitting considering it was the brigade's crescendo in battle. Overall, Nolan's book is a valuable tool, reference and history of the Iron Brigade that many people could benefit from reading. 5 STARS!

So many unit histories make for very dry reading, this is one that is an exception. The "Black Hats" are mostly known for their role on the first day of the Gettysburg battle in support of John Bufords troops, a role that was crucial in holding the tide of rebel forces until the Union was able to bring the rest of it's army to bear. The Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan force however had a much wider role in other actions which are presented by the author in a very readable style. Mr Nolan has written other works on the subject, one of which I have read, but it would be hard to imagine a more thorough, enjoyable one. Highly recommended.

The Iron Brigade was the only Western combat unit in the East's Army of the Potomac. Adopting the distinctive black dress hat of the Regular Army as part of its daily uniform, the Brigade would subsequently be known to the Confederates as "Those damn Black Hats", obstinate fighters known for combat efficiency and steadfastness in battle.

Initially consisting of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin plus the 19th Indiana, it was later joined by the 24th Michigan and generally fought with Battery B of the 4th US Artillery. The Black Hats initially joined General John Pope's Army of Virginia but after Pope's defeat at Second Bull Run, the Brigade would be transferred to the Army of the Potomac where it continued to serve with distinction until the end of the war. In addition to Second Bull Run, the Brigade fought at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Mine Run and participated in the Overland, Richmond-Petersburg and Appomattox campaigns.

The Brigade's first battle was at Brawner's Farm. In a most amazing action, this unit stood its ground against repeated attacks from a superior force under Stonewall Jackson. In the process, it lost 750 of the 2,000 men engaged, including 7 of 12 field officers. The actual designation "Iron Brigade" was attached subsequently during the Battle of South Mountain. Here the Brigade repeated their Brawner's Farm feat advancing up the National Road, forcing the Confederate line all the way back to the gap. Watching, Army Commander George McClellan asked his subordinate Joseph Hooker, "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?" Hooker replied, "Gibbon's brigade of Western men." McClellan stated, "They must be made of iron." They most assuredly were. Noted for its strong discipline, unique headgear and tenacious fighting ability, the Iron Brigade suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any brigade in the American Civil War.

Alan T. Nolan penned the first complete history of this most highly decorated combat unit. It is a wonderfully written and meticulously researched work. Many of the units that subsequently fought at Gettysburg equaled the body of work delivered by the Iron Brigade during that three day slugfest. The 20th Maine and 1st Minnesota certainly spring to mind. But none executed with the efficiency of the Iron Brigade for a longer period of time than the Black Hats. Relieving John Buford's cavalry in the first day's fight along Willoughby Run north and west of Gettysburg, they stacked Harry Heath's men up for so long on the Chambersburg Pike that the rest of the Army of the Potomac had sufficient time to concentrate along the heights of Cemetery Ridge south of town behind them. The Union's Cemetery Ridge defensive position was, as most people know, the key to the Union victory at Gettysburg. But the price of the Brigade's action north of town was remarkably dear. During the first day's action the Iron Brigade was absolutely decimated. Shot completely to pieces, it was effectively eliminated as a cohesive combat brigade for the next two days of the battle.

You will be quite impressed by this book about the Eastern Army's most famous combat unit, a group of Western men who had something to prove.

Special praise is reserved for the historian who tells well-researched history as an interesting story, because its appeal is broader. When he succeeds in capturing the mood of a past era in the process, the result is something special.

Meet Alan T. Nolan, who has achieved the above in this definitive work on the famous Iron Brigade (an elite unit consisting of Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan troops). We get to know its officers and its soldiers; we see it well handled and mishandled; we see (for example) the 24th Michigan earn its right to the distinctive black hat, then suffer 80% casualties--without routing, mind you--to prove to history that it surely lived up (or died up, one might say) to the proud reputation of this Western unit.

Recommended to Civil War buffs, those interested in the psyche of elite units, and to those who love the West.