christof139
Posts: 980
Joined: 12/7/2006 Status: offline
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Phelps' Brigade was I do believe the Eastern Iron Brigade, and Phelp's Brigade was never composed of the 5 Regiments that composed the better known Western Iron Brigade, or Gibbon's, Meredith's etc. Brigade. At Antietam, the Western Iron Brigade, then composed of only 4 Regiments without the latter arriving 24th Michigan, was, without looking in the few Antietam books lying at my feet, the 4th Brigade of the 1st Division (Doubleday) of Hooker's I Corps. At Gettysburg, the Western Iron Brigade now including the 24th Michigan, was the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps, of the Army of the Potomac, and was given that position as a mark of honor and respect. Brigades were frequently moved around in nymerical sequence within a Division and also when transfered to anothe Division, and the brigade Staff went wwith the Brigade wherever it was assigned within the Army. There were not permanet Brigade Staffs attached to a brigade slot within a Division of an Army. When the Brigade ws reassigned the Brigade Staff was reassigned with their Brigade. The Brigade Staff was composed of officers and enlisted personnel from the Regiments and other subunits within that Brigade, although rarely Brigade Staff members could be reassigned, either and usually temporarily and more rarely, to other duties and units by a higher HQ. The Brigade was a flexible organizational asset, and when a Brigade was moved within a Division or reassigned to another Division, it did not carry its numerical designation with it. Hence, the Western Iron Brigade at Antietam, the 4th Bde., 1st Div., I Corps, became the 1st Bde., 1st Div., I Coprs by the time of Gettysburg. I believe Phelps' Brigade was the 2nd Brigade, 1st Div. I Corpr at Gettysburg and was comanded by Cutler maybe, off-the-top-of-my-head, could be different though, would have to check. Chris
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