NEW: Fifty-five (55) Illustrations, Notes, Bibliography, Index, and General Rufus R. Dawes' Battle Record! They were fierce! They were tough! The famous Iron Brigade was one of the most celebrated brigades in the history of the Civil War! But how did they earn their title? Reflecting upon the Battle of South Mountain, General McClellan said, “My Headquarters were where I could see every move of the troops taking the gorge on the Pike. With my glass I saw the men fighting against great odd, when General Hooker came in great haste for some orders. I asked him what troops were those fighting on the Pike. His answer was, ‘General Gibbon’s Brigade of Western men.’ I said, ‘They must be made of iron.’ He replied, ‘By the Eternal they are iron. If you had seen them at Second Bull Run as I did, you would know them to be iron.’ I replied, ‘Why, General Hooker, they fight equal to the best troops in the world.’ Composed originally of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and Battery B of the 4th U.S. Artillery, and then later reinforced by the 24th Michigan, the famed brigade did not come without experiencing losses. Colonel Fox wrote in a report documenting war casualties: “The Iron Brigade suffered a greater proportionate loss in battle than any other brigade in the Army of the Union.” Service With the Sixth Wisconsin details first-hand accounts of the bloody campaign of forty-five days, which covers the battles of Gainesville and Bull Run Second under General Pope, and the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, in the Maryland campaign. Dawes and his regiment fought in these and other major battles including Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. Includes details about soldiers and military camp life! Table of Contents: LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PREFACE. CHAPTER I. (Mustered in, Plug Uglies Attack) CHAPTER II. (The “Iron Brigade” in Embryo) CHAPTER III. (Fredericks Hall Raid, Battle of Gainesville, Battle of Bull Run Second) CHAPTER IV. (Battle of South Mountain) CHAPTER V. (Battle of Fredericksburg, Mud Campaign [Mud March], Northumberland County Raid) CHAPTER VI. (Rufus R. Dawes reported as killed, Pontoon Boats, Fitz Hugh’s Crossing) CHAPTER VII. (Camp Near White Oak Church, Expedition Down the Northern Neck, The Battle as Reported to M. B. G.) CHAPTER VIII. (The Sixth Wisconsin at Gettysburg) CHAPTER IX. (South of the Rappahannock, Echoes of the Morgan Raid, Friendly Call on the Enemy) CHAPTER X. (Retreat to Centreville, Skirmish at Haymarket, Adjutant Brooks Captured by Rebels, Mine Run Campaign) CHAPTER XI. (Kelly’s Ford, Dawes is Married) CHAPTER XII. (Battle of the Wilderness, “Bloody Angle,” Laurel Hill) CHAPTER XIII. (Battle of Jericho Ford, Battle of the North Anna, Battle of Bethesda Church, Battle of Cold Harbor) CHAPTER XIV. (Captain Kellogg in Rebel Prison and His Escape, Trenches Before Petersburg, Mine Explosion) CHAPTER XV. (Battle on the Weldon Road, Major E. C. Dawes surgery, After Seventeen Years) Battle Record of Rufus R. Dawes NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX Available now in Hardcover, Paperback, eBook. Add Service With the Sixth Wisconsin to your library today! civil war, civil war books, antietam, battle of antietam, bethesda church, battle of bethesda church, bull run, bull run second, second bull run, battle of second bull run, battle of bull run second, battle of chantilly, battle of cold harbor, battle of dallas georgia, battle of fitz hugh's crossing, hugh's crossing, battle of fredericksburgh, fredericksburgh, battle of gainesville, gainesville, civil war battles, gettysburg, battle of gettysburg, pennsylvania, wisconsin, jericho ford, battle of jericho ford, battle of north anna, confederates, confederate soldiers, union soldiers, battle of pittsburg landing, pittsburg landing, shiloh, battle of shiloh, south mountain, battle of south mountain, spottsylvania, battle of spottsylvania, battle of weldon road, battle of the wilderness, frederick's hall raid, northumberland, northumberland raid, crawford division, doubleday, doubleday division, ewell division, 4th division, franklin division, franklin grand division, gibbon's division, griffin's division, hatch division, general edward johnson, kearney's division, king's division, mcdowell's division, mccall's division, meade's division, pennsylvania reserves, 2nd division 5th corps, 2nd division 15th corps, shield's division, steinwehr's division, stonewall jackson's division, wadsworth's division, regiment

Maj. Gen. McClellan: "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?" Maj. Gen. Hooker: "General Gibbon's brigade of Western men." Maj. Gen. McClellan: "They must be made of iron." And so, during the Battle of South Mountain, a prelude to the Battle of Antietam, this brigade earned its famous title as the "Iron Brigade". Once McClellan had heard of their actions during the Second Battle of Bull Run, where they were facing off against a superior force under Stonewall Jackson, he is said to have stated that they were the "best troops in the world." Rufus R. Dawes was a captain with the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, that along with 2nd and 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments, the 19th Indiana, Battery B of the 4th U.S. Light Artillery, and later in the war the 24th Michigan, formed the Iron Brigade. Although only in his early twenties at the beginning of the war he rapidly became an important leader in the famous brigade and by the end of the war was brevetted as a brigadier general for meritorious service. One of his most famous actions was on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg when he led a counterattack on the confederate forces under Brigadier General Joseph R. Davis and forced the surrender of more than two hundred enemy soldiers. Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers records in brilliant detail all of the actions that he and his regiment were involved in, including Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. Yet this book is not simply an account of the military activities that took place as he also recorded his feelings and moods, and included details about daily camp life and individual soldiers. Rufus Dawes derived all of the books material from his diaries and letters. He realized the value of a statement made at the moment as to his experiences, and he appreciated fully the treacherous nature of memory. He believed contemporaneous expression in letters and diaries provided material of historical value. He had the material and the ability to write a superb history of the grueling service of this famous regiment, but he felt that the story of his personal experiences and impressions written at the time would be of greater value, and so this book is not only account of the regiment, it is also a very personal account of one man's view of the Civil War. This book deserves to be read and enjoyed by all who wish to hear more about this brutal but fascinating conflict and to get to the heart of what the soldiers saw and thought. Rufus R. Dawes was a military officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war he became a businessman, Congressman and author. His book Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers was first published in 1890. He passed away in 1899.

"The Civil War as seen from the front ranks of a legendary fighting unit"--Cover.

Rufus R. Dawes (1838 – 1899) was a Union officer during the American Civil War, famed for his service in the Iron Brigade, particularly during the Battle of Gettysburg.