THOSE DAMNED BLACK HATS!: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign [Paperback]

Lance Herdegen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2010

The Iron Brigade-an all-Western outfit famously branded as The Iron Brigade of the West-served out their enlistments entirely in the Eastern Theater. Hardy men were these soldiers from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan, who waged war beneath their unique black Hardee Hats on many fields, from Brawner's Farm during the Second Bull Run Campaign all the way to Appomattox. In between were memorable combats at South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, the Overland Campaign, and the grueling fighting around Petersburg. None of these battles compared with the "four long hours" of July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, where the Iron Brigade was all but wrecked.

Lance Herdegen's 'Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign' is the first book-length account of their remarkable experiences in Pennsylvania during that fateful summer of 1863, and winner of The Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Operational / Battle History, 2008. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, including dozens of previously unpublished or unused accounts, Herdegen details for the first time the exploits of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and 24th Michigan regiments during the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 campaign. On July 1, the Western troops stood line-to-line and often face-to-face with their Confederate adversaries, who later referred to them as "those damned Black Hats." With the help of other stalwart comrades, the Hoosiers, Badgers, and Wolverines shed copious amounts of blood to save the Army of the Potomac's defensive position west of town. Their heroics above Willoughby Run, along the Chambersburg Pike, and at the Railroad Cut helped define the opposing lines for the rest of the battle and, perhaps, won the battle that helped preserve the Union.

Herdegen's account is much more than a battle study. The story of the fighting at the "Bloody Railroad Cut" is well known, but the attack and defense of McPherson's Ridge, the final stand at Seminary Ridge, the occupation of Culp's Hill, and the final pursuit of the Confederate Army has never been explored in sufficient depth or with such story-telling ability. Herdegen completes the journey of the Black Hats with an account of the reconciliation at the 50th Anniversary Reunion and the Iron Brigade's place in Civil War history.

"Where has the firmness of the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg been surpassed in history?" asked Rufus Dawes of the 6th Wisconsin. Indeed, it was a fair question. The brigade marched to Gettysburg with 1,883 men in ranks and by nightfall on July 1, only 671 men were still to be counted. It would fight on to the end of the Civil War, and do so without its all-Western makeup, but never again was it a major force in battle.

Some 150 years after the last member of the Iron Brigade laid down his life for his country, the complete story of what the Black Hats did at Gettysburg and how they remembered it is now available in paperback.

WINNER: The Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Operational / Battle History, 2008

REVIEWS: ". . . brings to life the story of the men who sacrificed so much. . . . Herdegen is able to weave all of the letters and personal accounts into a seamless story that is hard to put down. . . . a great tribute to the men who served in one of the most famous units in the Civil War." Collected Miscellany, 1/2009

About the Author: Award-winning journalist Lance J. Herdegen is the former director of the Institute of Civil War Studies at Carroll University. He previously worked as a reporter and editor for the United Press International (UPI) news service covering national politics and civil rights. He presently is an historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West.

REVIEWS

WINNER FOR OPERATIONAL / BATTLE HISTORY, 2008, ARMY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD"... brings to life the story of the men who sacrificed so much... Herdegen is able to weave all of the letters and personal accounts into a seamless that is hard to put down. ...a great tribute to the men who served in one of the most famous units in the Civil War."Collected Miscellany, 1/2009

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Savas Beatie (May 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932714839
• ISBN-13: 978-1932714838
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #387,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lance J. Herdegen's latest work is "Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign" (Savas Beatie, 2008), which won an Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award. He is former Director of the Institute for Civil War Studies at Carroll University and presently works as historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West at Kenosha, Wisconsin, and as a lecturer in the Carroll History Department.
"I was drawn to the Civil War when my father brought home a rifle-musket he found while helping a neighbor cleanout a shed. I was totally entranced and I began to read everything I could find on the 1861-1865 period. As a true son of Wisconsin, it is difficult to escape not being interested in the Iron Brigade even though my own distant kinsman was killed with the 14th Wisconsin at Shiloh. One of the first books I discovered was Rufus Dawes' "Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers." I also met Alan Nolan while in college and he was writing his powerful book on the Iron Brigade which appeared in 1961. I had some material I gave him and he encouraged me as well by giving me some of his research. It led to a lifelong friendship and I miss him since his passing. I only wish he would have had a chance to read my latest work on the Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg campaign. It would have led to wonderful discussions and challenges about my conclusions.
"Besides some new and important primary source material, I think the Gettysburg book is colored by my background. I was a reporter for the United Press International wire service most of my adult life. As a result, I am sure I am influenced by the events I covered during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. As a reporter, I tend to be generally distrustful of official materials. I am not interested in looking at events from the top down. However, I am interested in looking at events from the ranks up. It is a very different view. Reports that the Army of the Potomac was short on supplies do not match an account of a hungry private soldier chasing a cow in a field to get a canteen full of milk. A professor of mine at Marquette University, Dr. Frank Klement, who wrote four good books on the Civil War, said he believed that reporters always got the first chance to write history. I guess what I am doing now is just an extension of my earlier UPI work. When I start writing about a battle or incident from the Civil War, I pretty much let the actual sources take me where they will."
Included among his other honors are: The Harry S. Truman Award of the Civil War Round Table of Kansas City; The Award of Merit, State Historical Society of Wisconsin; The Gambrinus Prize, Milwaukee County Historical Society, and the Service Award of The Civil War Round Table of Milwaukee.
He lives in Walworth County, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine work on The Black Hats at Gettysburg, October 12, 2008

By 

J. C. Darling (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign (Hardcover)

I have read so much on the heroic actions of the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg that I didn't think I could find much more that would be new to me. But Lance Herdegen has put together a fabulous work on this subject with "Those Damned Black Hats - The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign".

Recollections taken from letters written by survivors of the Brigade help to recount the story of the brigade's gallant actions in the fields and wood lots west of Gettysburg on July 1st, as well as their minor contributions on the 2nd and 3rd on Culp's Hill. Many wartime photos of Iron Brigade soldiers and maps of the troops' positions help tell the story.

Interestingly, Herdegen includes a few chapters that deal with the brigade's actions during Grant's push into Virginia in 1864. I wasn't expecting this, as the book was to deal with the Gettysburg campaign only, so I thought. But these sections work seamlessly with the main focus of the book, as it helps the reader to follow the men who fought at Gettysburg through to the conclusion of the war.

The final chapters deal with the various Iron Brigade veterans associations and their reunions and meetings with former Confederate foes during visits to the field in their final years. I found these accounts very interesting indeed... and rather touching.

A fine addition to the library of all who are interested in The Iron Brigade and The Gettysburg Campaign in general.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not sweeping battles - but the stories of individuals, November 6, 2008

By 

Jospeh R. Millsaps "Weekend Warrior" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign (Hardcover)

As a Civil War and history buff, I eagerly awaited Lance Herdegen's latest book. Herdegen continues to try and tell the individual stories of the men who fought in the Civil War, and placing those stories in the greater context of the struggle. With his reporter's eye for detail, the reader smells the dust of these men marching to Gettysburg, and the cold of the winter before Fredericksburg.

I was on a recent business trip and a colleague, who is not a history fan, asked if I had any books to help her read herself to sleep. I had just finished this tale of the Iron Brigade, and offered it to her. The next morning she complained that it did not help her to sleep; instead she was drawn by the individual stories of the men of the Iron Brigade.

So if you are a Civil War devotee, or just fascinated by the real stories of young men in a time of change, I would highly recommend this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gettysburg Again? - You Bet!, November 7, 2008

By 

Martin Hunter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Those Damned Black Hats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign (Hardcover)

Who knew that more could be written about the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg and that it could be done so well! Lance Herdegen follows the tall, tough, black-hatted Western soldiers of the Iron Brigade on the road to Gettysburg and beyond.

This is a story about people under unique circumstances during a unique time and their ability to rise to the occasion. It is not a story of massive, impersonal armies moving here and there, it is a story about what people experienced for a few hot days in July in a place they never heard of before.

This is not your average military history - it is better. Herdegen adds to the story of the Iron Brigade by using newly discovered primary documents - letters, diaries and more to deftly to create an eminently readable mix of social and military history done as no one else can.

These are the stories of raw young men, far from home, doing their duty as only the young men of that era could.