The Men Stood Like Iron: How the Iron Brigade Won Its Name (Indiana)

Rating:
Summary: Proud to be a Calico Boy
Review: A very well written novel. If you want to know what it was like to be a civil war soldier and member of the Iron Brigade this book is a must

Rating:
Summary: This was my first in-depth Iron Brigade book--
Review: I found it very helpful and very inspirational. The book's four maps are especially clear. Quite a number of titles are available on this Brigade, and I was happy to find the book by Rufus R. Dawes, "A Full Blown Yankee of the Iron Brigade: Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers" now out in paper! Mr. Herdegen uses this earlier work, and now it is available to all CW students. I found much to share with others from this book, and I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Proud to be a Calico Boy
Review: I read a lot of books on the Civil War. I had kin in the the 6th Wisconsin. I read everything I can find about the Iron Brigade. Mr. Herdegen is one of the great authorities on this famed and proud unit. I have enjoyed and learned from every one of his books. Well done! A must read for anyone who calls themselves a Civil War buff. My God....what a war...what a unit! Many American soldiers are button pushers these days. Back then, a man actually saw who he was fighting. The Brigade fought like wildcats. To get a feel for what it was like read Dawes and Herdegen. Read this book!!!

Rating:
Summary: Reads Like an Adventure Novel!
Review: If you have never read a book about the Iron Brigade, this is the one to begin with. This book reads like an adventure novel. No matter if you are 10 or 100 years old, this easy to read book is packed with page after page of thrilling adventure. I could not put it down. "What will happen to these brave boys next? Will they survive, and if so, HOW?" was constantly on my mind.

The book is the story of the Brigade as seen from within the ranks of the 6th Wisconsin Regiment. It draws heavily from the memoirs of Rufus Dawes, one of the officers leading the regiment. He was an excellent and compassionate writer, and his first hand observations put you immediately in the ranks.

The history of the Brigade, from enlistment at Camp Randall to the Battle of Gettysburg is told in fast paced and very accessible form. History buffs will enjoy this one as well as newcomers to the subject of the Civil War. After reading this book I was so impressed by the valor of these men, I decided to join the Iron Brigade and become a Civil War reenactor!

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Nolan's
Review: Readers who pick up this book will almost certainly read Alan Nolan's book on the Iron Brigade as well. With that in mind, if you only want or intend to read one, read Nolan's.

This book is much more specific than Nolan's in identifying certain individuals in different companies and offers a more anecdotal approach to the story of the Iron Brigade.

But this book centers almost completely on the Wisconsin regiments (2nd,6th,7th and the 5th for the brief period it was part of the brigade): other than a prologue of sorts beginning at Gettysburg, this book covers only up to Antietam. In reading this edition, a reader could easily forget that the 19th Indiana is part of the brigade, and the book ends before the 24th Michigan becomes part of the brigade at all.

The book is entertaining and very readable, The book's title is "How the Brigade won its Name" and it tells that story and stops. However, Nolan's book does that and covers up to "the Last Stand at Gettysburg," until the brigade is diluted with non-Western regiments. As a result, between reading the two, you could come away feeling as though this book's story is incomplete.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Nolan's
Review: Readers who pick up this book will almost certainly read Alan Nolan's book on the Iron Brigade as well. With that in mind, if you only want or intend to read one, read Nolan's.

This book is much more specific than Nolan's in identifying certain individuals in different companies and offers a more anecdotal approach to the story of the Iron Brigade.

But this book centers almost completely on the Wisconsin regiments (2nd,6th,7th and the 5th for the brief period it was part of the brigade): other than a prologue of sorts beginning at Gettysburg, this book covers only up to Antietam. In reading this edition, a reader could easily forget that the 19th Indiana is part of the brigade, and the book ends before the 24th Michigan becomes part of the brigade at all.

The book is entertaining and very readable, The book's title is "How the Brigade won its Name" and it tells that story and stops. However, Nolan's book does that and covers up to "the Last Stand at Gettysburg," until the brigade is diluted with non-Western regiments. As a result, between reading the two, you could come away feeling as though this book's story is incomplete.