Episode 61: PVT Philip Cheek and the 6th Wisconsin at the Battle of South Mountain

At the Battle of South Mountain, on the evening of 14 September 1862, PVT Phillip Cheek and the 6^th Wisconsin advanced upon Turner’s Gap, one of three passes at South Mountain. Alongside the 19^th Indiana, 2^nd and 7^th Wisconsin Infantries, the men of BG John Gibbon’s 4^th Brigade met heavy resistance from COL Alfred H. Colquitt’s Brigade of Georgians and Alabamians but steadily advanced up the slope to within a close range where both sides poured volleys into each other. Despite running low on ammunition, PVT Cheek and the rest of his Brigade held their ground until the Confederates retreated that night.

Observing the advance upon Turner’s Gap from his headquarters, MG McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac remarked to MG Hooker, the I Corps commander, about the fighting spirit of the men that, “They must be made of iron.” From that day, PVT Phillip Cheek and the men assigned to BG Gibbon became known as the Iron Brigade.

Sources used for this episode:

Cheek, Philip and Pointon, Mair. History of the Sauk County Riflemen, Known as Company “A,” Sixth Wisconsin Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 1861 – 1865. Democrat Printing Company, 1909. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu01504851&seq=11.

Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. ser. 1, vol. 19, pt: 1 Reports. Government Printing Office, 1887. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924079609610&view=1up&seq=3.

Wisconsin Historical Society. “The Origin of the Famous Iron Brigade’s Name.” Accessed 18 March 2026. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS3518.