The Horn Brigade, also known as the Dutch Brigade, or the “

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought enti ...

of the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

,” was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

of the Cumberland during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The brigade fought in the battles of Shiloh,

Stones River The Stones River (properly spelled Stone's River) is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region. It is named after explorer and longhunter Uriah Stone, who navigated the river in 1767. Geography and hydrography T ...

, Liberty Gap,

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

Missionary Ridge Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, a ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

and

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Nicknames

The brigade gained the sobriquet “Horn Brigade” while under the command of

August Willich August Willich (November 19, 1810 – January 22, 1878), born Johann August Ernst von Willich, was a military officer in the Prussian Army and a leading early proponent of communism in Germany. In 1847 he discarded his title of nobility. He later ...

, a former

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

officer who favored using

bugle call A bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used fo ...

s to signal movements. It was also known as the Dutch Brigade because of the ethnic makeup of the brigade (mainly the 32nd Indiana) and the brigade commander. Later, it also became known as the “Iron Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland” following its actions on September 20, 1863, when it drove back an entire Confederate division during the Battle of Chickamauga.

History

The brigade that would later become known as the Horn Brigade originally consisted of the 15th Ohio, 49th Ohio, 32nd Indiana, 39th Indiana and

Battery A, 1st Ohio Light Artillery Battery A, 1st Ohio Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The battery was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on September 6 ...

. These units were later joined by the 89th Illinois, 25th Illinois, 35th Illinois, 68th Indiana, 8th Kansas, 15th Wisconsin, and 51st Indiana. Advance firing

The brigade was known by the following designations: Johnson's Brigade, McCook's Command, to November 1861. 6th Brigade,

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...

, to December 1861. 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Right Wing,

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

, Army of the Cumberland, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, IV Corps, to August 1865. The brigade was further distinguished by a tactic invented by August Willich known as “advance firing,” in which the regiments were organized into four ranks (rather than two), with one rank moving forward, firing, and reloading as it was replaced with the rank farthest to the rear. This tactic was used by the 49th Ohio to great effect at the Battle of Liberty Gap during the Tullahoma Campaign and again by the brigade at the Battle of Chickamauga. At the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the brigade led the charge against the Confederate lines against orders and was among the first to reach the top of the ridge.

Commanders

Richard W. Johnson Richard Woodhouse Johnson (February 27, 1827April 21, 1897) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Life Personal life Richard Woodhouse Johnson was born on February 27, 1827 in Smithland, to James Johnson (1785–1837) ...

* William H. Gibson *

* Charles T. Hotchkiss * Abel D. Streight

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , last =Reyburn , first =Philip J. , title =Clear the Track: A History of the Eighty-Ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, The Railroad Regiment , publisher =AuthorHouse , edition =1st , location =Bloomington, IN , language =en , url =https://www.google.com/books/edition/Clear_the_Track/3vg7mAEACAAJ?hl=en , url-access =subscription , oclc =1031454756 , isbn =9781477254141 , access-date=November 30, 2017 , format =pdf , date =2012 , pages =368 * Taft, W.F. (1887). ""About Willich's Bugles"" (PDF). National Tribune. Union Army brigades