The "Gibraltar Brigade" was a famed

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

within the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Recognizing its tenacity in combat at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

, Brigadier General William French assigned the nickname as a comparison to the steadfastness of the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq , meaning "Mountain of Tariq ibn Ziyad, Tariq") is a monolithic limestone mountain high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated near the end of a nar ...

. At Antietam the 8th Ohio Infantry, 14th Indiana Infantry, 7th West Virginia Infantry and 132nd Pennsylvania (a nine-month regiment) comprised the Brigade. The 4th Ohio Infantry Regiment was forced to miss the

Maryland Campaign The Maryland campaign (or Antietam campaign) occurred September 4–20, 1862, during the American Civil War. The campaign was Confederate States Army, Confederate General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the Northern United Stat ...

due to regiment-wide sickness but was otherwise a consistent member of the Brigade. It served in many of the major battles of the Eastern Theater. During the

Battle of East Cemetery Hill The battle of East Cemetery Hill during the American Civil War was a military engagement on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, in which an attack of the Confederacy's Louisiana Tigers Brigade and a brigade led by Colonel Robert Hoke w ...

at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, nine cannons from Wiedrich's and Ricketts' Batteries had been silenced and remained in violently disputed possession. As the Union cannoneers and Confederate riflemen from Louisiana and North Carolina engaged hand-to-hand, both sides waited for decisive reinforcement. While none of the anticipated help arrived for the Confederates, six Union infantry regiments counterattacked across the Baltimore Pike to assist their artillery comrades. Three regiments from the Gibraltar Brigade marched in column at double-quick time from Zeigler's Grove across the length (west to east) of Evergreen Cemetery. The column split into two at the Gatehouse (with the 7th West Virginia on its left side and the 8th Ohio and the 14th Indiana on its right), crossed the Baltimore Pike, left-faced into line of battle, and attacked with bayonets. Among the three, the 14th Indiana arrived first to rescue Ricketts' Battery. Another portion of the brigade helped repulse

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee as part of his plan to break through Union lines and achieve a decisive victory in the North. T ...

the following day. Through much of the war, the Gibraltar Brigade was composed of the 4th Ohio Infantry, 8th Ohio Infantry, 14th Indiana Infantry, and the 7th West Virginia Infantry. The brigade was augmented by the 24th and 28th New Jersey before the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

. Before the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

in early 1864, its ranks were bolstered by the addition of the 14th Connecticut, 1st Delaware, 108th New York, 12th New Jersey, and the 10th New York Battalion. Its commanders included

Nathan Kimball Nathan Kimball (November 22, 1822 – January 21, 1898) was a physician, politician, postmaster, and military officer, serving as a general in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was the first statewide commander of the Grand Arm ...

Samuel S. Carroll Samuel Sprigg "Red" Carroll (September 21, 1832 – January 28, 1893) was a career officer in the United States Army who rose to the rank of brigadier general of the Union during the American Civil War. The Maryland native was most known fo ...

, and Thomas A. Smyth.

References

* Dyer, Frederick Henry, ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion.'' 3 volumes. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1908.

External links

The Civil War Archive

References

External links

Further reading