How did Indiana's Iron Brigade get its name?

Answer 1

"The Iron Brigade" was composed of the 2nd Wisconsin, 6th Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and later the 24th Michigan. It was originally the Fourth Brigade, First Division, First Corp, Army of the Potomac, and served originally under Brigadier General John Gibbon. It later become the First Brigade, First Division, First Corp, Army of the Potomac, under the command of Solomon Meredith. It was originally called the "Black Hat Brigade" for its distinctive "Hardee" hats, provided at the personal expense of General Gibbon. At the battle of South Mountain, as it charged Colonel Alfred H. Colquitt's Georgia and Alabama brigade, commanding general George Brinton McClellan was told that the "Black Hat Brigade" was advancing. Listening to the roar of the musketry, and realizing that the Black Hats must have been advancing into a hailstorm of bullets, General McClellan is said to have remarked, "My God! Those men must be made of iron!" The story spread, and the brigade's name changed from the Black Hats to Iron.