Highway 12 is dedicated to the brave soldiers of the Iron Brigade who fought in the Civil War of 1861-1865. Of the 672 infantry brigades in the Union Army, the Iron Brigade, composed of the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana and 24th Michigan Regiments, experienced the highest rate of casualties. Also known as the "Black Hats," they served in every major battle with President Abraham Lincoln's Army of the Potomac, from Bull Run to Appomattox.