GDG- Private Bradshaw Visits Gettysburg

Wed Aug 9 14:57:13 CDT 2006

Great job Laurie!  If I was not so busy traveling - and what a great 
trip I have had through the east coat - I would drop everything and 
see if I could be privileged enough to join your group.  I think that 
what you do is great!  I think that the Iron Brigade deserves a 
special place in history and particularly  in the story of Gettysburg. 
I am sorry that I could not have been there to witness your weekend. 
I knew when you mentioned it at the Muster that I was going to be 
special.  I really like the shot Michael got of you in the RR cut.  I 
always like the Herbst woods and the RR cut area of the battlefield. 
When I was there in May for 2 weeks I spent two days just walking that 
area.

thanks,

Charlie Eyster
RV'ing in the USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laurence D. Schiller" <lds307 at northwestern.edu>
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: GDG- Private Bradshaw Visits Gettysburg

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

Greetings - I thought the group might like to
know a bit more about our weekend. Our group
consisted of 7 members from Co. F of the 2nd
Wisconsin and after driving all night Thursday to
reach the field on Friday, we traced the
movements of the Iron Brigade for the rest of the
day. On Saturday and Sunday we gave the usual
manoever and firing demos behind the PA monument.
Saturday evening we gathered at the John Burns
monument and marched to each of the Iron Brigade
monuments giving speeches as we went. I was
honored to give the speech for the 2nd and did so
as William Bradshaw. It follows:

THE SECOND WISCONSIN AT GETTYSBURG

Good evening comrades, ladies, and
families. I have been given the singular honor to
address you on this sacred field, in the shadow
of the monument to the memory of the senior
regiment of the Iron Brigade of the West. In
February 1861, our Martyred President Lincoln
said that "not with politicians, not with
Presidents, not with office-seekers, but with
YOU, is the question, 'Shall the Union and shall
the liberties of this country be preservedS?"
When the test came in that memorable April, after
the Secessionists fired on our beloved flag at
Sumter, the patriots of Wisconsin responded with
alacrity and companies formed all over the state
- in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, and La
Cross amongst others. 10 of these companies made
their way to Camp Randall where they were
composed into the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. Asked
to change their enlistments from 90 days to three
years, they accepted with enthusiasm and were the
first of the 3 years regiments to arrive to
defend Washington. They were also the only
regiment of this brigade to see the elephant at
1st Bull Run.
I wish I had the time to thoroughly
review the history of this remarkable regiment,
but I don't have to remind you of the formation
of our brigade in October 1861 under General
Rufus King, the arrival of General John Gibbon in
May of '62, or its baptism of fire at Gainsville,
or Brawners Farm, that August where we stood
under the most intense fire for two hours against
5 brigades of Jackson's Corps. General Gibbon
called it 'the most terrific musketry fire I ever
listened to' and the brigade suffered mightily.
Here the 2nd lost Colonel Edgar O'Connor and 298
casualties out of 500 in the regiment, but we
'black-hatted fellows' as they called us, wreaked
havoc amongst the Rebels - causing fully 1/3 of
the Rebels to fall including General Ewell, who
lost his leg.

Just weeks later, at Turner's Gap in South
Mountain, we again showed our mettle, taking the
highest casualties of any brigade in the army
while driving Colquitt's Georgians and Alabamians
off the crest. Here 1st Corps commander Joe
Hooker christened us his 'brigade of iron'. And,
who can forget that bloody cornfield at Antietam
where the old 2nd held down the left flank of the
brigade, driving the Stonewall Brigade through
the corn of Miller's field, until exhausted and
with muskets fouled, we were in turn driven by
the fresh brigades of Law and Hood. Remember that
day with pride because of the 348 casualties
suffered by the brigade that morning (of 800 who
went in), only 5 were missing - the rest killed
and wounded on the field. 86 of those were from
the 2nd.
Much reduced in numbers, the brigade was
augmented in October 1862 by the addition of the
illustrious 24th Michigan and over the winter by
the return of wounded and sick comrades. Now the
1st Brigade of the 1st Division of the 1st Corps,
the Potomac was crossed on June 25, 1863 on the
way to our fated meeting with Lee on this very
ground. A mile to our SE the brigade left the
Emmitsburg Road at the Codori Farm and marched to
the sound of the guns, the 2nd in the lead. HERE,
in the swale just to our east, the 2nd formed and
charged into the maelstrom, relieving Buford's
cavalrymen and driving Archer's Brigade back
across Willoughby Run. HERE was martyred our
brave Corps Commander, John Reynolds. HERE, too,
was killed the gallant Lt. Colonel of the 2nd,
George H. Stevens and where Colonel Lucius
Fairchild lost his arm. Also, not to be
forgotten, was the capture of General Archer
himself by the impetuous Patrick Maloney of the
2nd who picked him up and shook him, soon to fall
himself.
HERE in these woods we reformed, but the
2nd had lost 116 of 302 men killed and wounded.
But stay we did, knowing that Heth would come
with new brigades with the rest of Hill's Corps
behind. The brigade fought like demons,
contesting every foot of ground, only retiring
when flanked on the left and right and when we
left, we left like soldiers, retiring and firing
- the 2nd and the 7th protecting each other as
they moved back to the Seminary line. THERE was
the last stand of the Federal army that day, with
the 1st Corps, including the remnants of the Iron
Brigade holding on until Pender's and Rhodes's
Divisions overwhelmed them with numbers. Finally,
they retreated in good order to Cemetery Hill and
entrenched on Stevens Knoll/Culps Hill. This was
truly the last stand of the Iron Brigade, which
took the highest percentage of casualties in the
army - 65%. The 2nd had lost 77% of its numbers.
But the enemy had suffered severely at its hands
and the Brigade can take extreme pride in the
true fact that 'not a single backward step had
been taken except on orders'.
While some men of the 2nd veteranized in
the spring of 1864, what was left of the regiment
mustered out in June. Reduced to less than 100,
they were formally detached from the Iron Brigade
and soon disappeared from the rolls of the
Federal army. They had distinguished themselves
by suffering the greatest percentage of loss of
any regiment in the Union Army. COMRADES, as we
stand in these woods where they fought so
gallantly to hold back the hordes of Hill, let us
remember their sacrifice. Let me conclude with
the words of General Gibbon who was still in the
army when invited to a Wisconsin reunion. "I was
not a Wisconsin soldier, and have not (yet) been
honorably discharged, but at the judgment day I
want to be with Wisconsin soldiers". I am sure,
were he here, he would include the 19th Indiana
and 24th Michigan in that number as well. Thank
you for the honor of addressing you.

It was a wonderful weekend and it was great to
meet the members of the 19th Indiana based in the
UK.

Best,

Laurie Schiller

>Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
>Laurie,
>
>A friend of mine photographed a group in the railroad cut.  Right 
>after Chuck posted the link for his pictures something clicked for 
>me.  I went back and looked at some of my friends pictures....is that 
>you, second from the right, in the group with their backs to the 
>camera??
>http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/forums/ViewPost.aspx?ForumID=43&ID=6537
>
>The post with the picture is about the fourth post from the top.
>
>Geo.
>

-- 
Dr. Laurence Dana Schiller Civil War First Person Impressions
Maitre d'Armes William Bradshaw, Co. F 2nd WI
Head Fencing Coach George Hammitt, Co. H 104th Ill
Department of History
Northwestern University
Commissioner, Midwest Fencing Conference
Midwest VP, US Fencing Coaches' Association
Vice-Chair USFA Illinois Division
Lds307 at northwestern.edu
847-491-4654
FAX 847-467-1406
Official Sports site: http://nusports.ocsn.com/
Student web site: http://groups.northwestern.edu/fencing/
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