Walter Phelps Jr. was an officer in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 throughout the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, ending the war as commanding general of the First Iron Brigade. Phelps was born in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, however the date is unknown because his records are believed to have been lost in a fire in his native home.

Civil War

Phelps was appointed Colonel of the 22nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

22nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 22nd New York Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War.- History :...

 that mustered in on June 6, 1861 for two-years service. Colonel Phelps later assumed command of the 1st Brigade, 1st Corps, 1st Division, after General Hatch was transferred out of the Brigade.

Colonel Phelps wrote:
"In compliance with orders from General Hatch, I assumed command of his brigade Sunday, September 14, [1862] at 10 a.m. The column of General Hooker's corps was then moving through Frederick toward Middletown on the pike."

He was then in command of the First Iron Brigade but at this time it was known simply as the "Iron Brigade" because at this time the "Iron Brigade of the West" had not gained its acclaim. At the Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...

 however the "Iron Brigade of the East" supported and rescued the "Iron Brigade of the West". Phelps' Iron Brigade advanced through the cornfield early on the 17th in close support of General John Gibbon

John Gibbon

John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...

's Iron Brigade

Iron Brigade

The Iron Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade of the West or the Black Hat Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought entirely in the Eastern Theater, it was composed of regiments from Western states...

. The 14th Brooklyn

14th Regiment (New York State Militia)

The 14th Regiment New York State Militia was a volunteer militia regiment from the City of Brooklyn, New York. It is primarily known for its service in the American Civil War from April 1861 to May 1864, although it later served in the Spanish American War and World War I .In the Civil War, the...

 under his command helped the 6th Wisconsin Volunteers

6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 6th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a member of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac.-Service:...

 as a Confederate charge was about to push them back through the cornfield. Phelps' Brigade got the farthest during the action, the 14th Brooklyn being the only regiment to reach Dunkard Church and hold their waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

Phelps died in Bennington, Vermont on February 28, 1878.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals