Iron Brigade Guard

No more famous unit fought at Gettysburg than the Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac.

Lost and forgotten, however, has been the role of the "Iron Brigade Guard -- a detail of picked men from each of the regiments -- which fought as a separate organization in the epic battle.

The Iron Brigade Guard of the Gettysburg campaign was organized on June 22, 1863, as the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division of the I Corps marched northward to Pennsylvania. While on the march, the commander, Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith of the 19th Indiana, ordered formation of a "Brigade Guard" composed of detachments from the 2nd, 6th, 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana and 24th Michigan.

The brigade order No. 24 issued "near Guilford Station, Va.," also called for the guard to include one sergeant and one corporal from each of the regiments as well as three officers -- one captain, a 1st lieutenant and a 2nd lieutenant. At first, the privates from each regiment varied, ranging from 15 from the 6th Wisconsin to 30 from the 2nd Wisconsin, but that was later changed to 20 men from each unit.

On the morning of July 1, 1863, as the Iron Brigade double-quicked into the battle of Gettysburg, the Brigade Guard was at the rear of the column. It numbered 100 men under the command of 1st Lt. Loyd G. Harris of the 6th Wisconsin, and 2nd Lt. Levi Showalter of the 2nd Wisconsin. When the 6th Wisconsin was halted as a reserve, Harris ran forward to Lt. Col. Rufus Dawes for instructions. He was told to divide the reserve into two 50-man companies and place one on each flank of the regiment.

When the 6th Wisconsin advanced for the celebrated charge on the unfinished railroad cut, the Iron Brigade Guard was on the flanks of the advancing regiment. The successful attack had far-reaching consequences. It not only restored the Union right, but played a significant role in setting the stage for the ultimate Union victory at Gettysburg.

In the lull following the fighting, Dawes released the soldiers of the Iron Brigade Guard to return to their own regiments. As both officers of the Guard -- Harris and Showalter -- were wounded, no report of the unit's role was made or the number of killed and wounded determined. It is estimated the casualties in the Iron Brigade Guard were about 30.

More than 22 years after Gettysburg, Harris wrote of the Iron Brigade Guard and his account was published in The Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph, a weekly newspaper which followed the news of soldier reunions and campfires.

Using his middle name "Grayson," Harris wrote of Gettysburg: "The brigade guard on the right and left never faltered, but held their own with the veterans of the 6th. On the right, Lieut. Showalter was wounded. On the left the fire was the worst I ever experienced, yet not a man failed to move promptly forward and closed in to the right as the men fell before the railroad cut. I had men of the Second, Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin, 19th Indiana and 24th Michigan, and I can to-day give my solemn oath that there was no difference in the fighting qualities of those men; every man was a hero, and in my heart it made me feel not less pride in my regiment, but increased the esprit de corps of the "Iron Brigade'."

The above information can be found on Carroll College site.

In the reenactment community, the Iron Brigade Guard has been brought back and is a member of the American Civil War Association.

The Iron Brigade Guard is made up of members of each of the five represented regiments of the Iron Brigade. Two main bodies presently make up this unit, the 2nd Wisconsin Company H & 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Company C. There are members, also, from the 6th, & 7th Wisconsin and the 19th Indiana.

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