5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | 1861 |
Country | USA |
Branch | Army |
Type | Air defense artillery |
Motto(s) | "Volens et Potens" (Willing and Able). |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Harvey Brown |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia |
The 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1861 in the Regular Army as the 5th Regiment of Artillery.
On 4 May 1861, in conformity with the proclamation of the President, a new regiment of 12 batteries was added to the artillery arm of service and became known as the Fifth of the series.
Congress confirmed this act of the President, 12 July (approved 29 July) of the same year, but all appointments dated from 14 May.
Four companies were assigned to Fort Jefferson, Florida on 10 Nov. 1865, where they remained until relieved in 1869.
Differing in organization from the older regiments, the new one comprised only field batteries, being in this regard the first entire regiment so equipped in the Regular Army. But it must not be inferred that the Fifth was designated by law as a light artillery regiment. "Nowhere in the act of 29 July do the words 'field or light artillery' occur, nevertheless, the batteries received the personnel belonging to field-artillery only. This, together with the other fact of the mounting, equipping and sending out as field artillery all the batteries, does not leave in doubt that Congress intended the Fifth to be a field artillery regiment."
The regiment was broken up 13 February 1901 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as separate numbered companies and batteries of the Artillery Corps.
The regiment was reconstituted on 27 February 1924 and organized on 1 July 1924 in the Regular Army as the 5th Coast Artillery (U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC)) and partially activated (headquarters and headquarters battery (HHB) only) at Fort Hamilton, New York in the Harbor Defenses of Southern New York. The regiment was organized by redesignating the 49th, 50th, 51st, 53rd, 54th, 55th, 56th, & 57th Cos, CAC. Batteries A, B, C, and G carried the lineage and designations of the corresponding batteries in the old 5th Artillery.
Regimental assets transferred to Harbor Defenses of New York and HHB released from Eastern Defense Command to IX Corps, Army Ground Forces 24 February 1944. Regiment transferred to Camp Rucker, Alabama on 13 March 1944 and inactivated there on 19 April 1944; then disbanded 26 June 1944.