When the rush to fill quotas required of Wisconsin was made the Governor appointed him Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Wisconsin and he went to the front in September, 1861, joining the “Wisconsin Brigade” of Rufus King. He performed duty with his command, made the fruitless march in spring of 1862 under McClellan towards Manassas, went to the first campaign of the Rappahannock, engaged in small affairs at Thornburg near Fredericksburg. He was in the movement to Frederick's Hall Station and went to Cedar Mountain in time to retreat with Pope and to skirmish at Beverly Ford. He participated in the move to Warrenton after the skirmish at Sulphur Springs, and fought in the first terrific action in which Wisconsin troops were engaged at Gainesville, August 28. Four regiments, the “Iron Brigade”, held the ground against 33 regiments of rebels. The Lieutenant Colonel had been made Colonel of the 7th Wisconsin in the fall of 1861, and in this action his horse was shot under him and he received a bullet in his leg. He was sent to Washington and home, rejoining his command a few days previous to the fight at Fredericksburg in December 1862. During the action his regiment was on the extreme left, and after it was over the command fell back to Belle Plaine and went into winter quarters. In January, Colonel Robinson helped pull Burnside out of the mud.