Delaware State Guard

Delaware State Guard
Delaware State Guard insignia.
Active	1917–1919 1941–1947
Country	United States
Allegiance	Delaware
Branch	Army
Type	State defense force
Role	Military reserve force
Size	500
Part of	Delaware Department of Military Affairs
Garrison/HQ	Wilmington, Delaware
Commanders
Governor of Delaware during World War I	Governor John G. Townsend, Jr.
Governor of Delaware during World War II	Governor Walter W. Bacon
Commanding Officer	Colonel J. Paul Heinel
Executive Officer	Lt. Colonel Victor Clark

The Delaware State Guard is the currently inactive state defense force of the state of Delaware, which was active during both World War I and World War II. As the official militia of the state, the Delaware State Guard was created with the intent of acting as a stateside replacement for the Delaware National Guard while the National Guard units were deployed abroad.

Prior to the Militia Act of 1903 and the subsequent creation of the National Guard of the United States, the United States maintained a small full-time, professional military and largely relied on state militias to provide for the nation’s defense. These state militias would eventually evolve into the National Guard and their stateside parallels, the state defense forces, and both organizations trace their lineage directly to the state militias which operated prior to the creation of the modern-day National Guard.

The first militia in Delaware was formed when Swedish settlers took up arms to defend Fort Christina (which was at the time a Swedish settlement) against Dutch invaders. During the American Revolutionary War, Delaware raised several units of militia in support of the Patriot side of the war. In the War of 1812, all of the Delaware volunteer units saw combat at Lewes, where they comprised the majority of force that drove off a British naval squadron seeking control of the Delaware River. Despite the federal government initially prohibiting volunteer units the Mexican-American War, a volunteer unit raised in Delaware would serve in the battles of Contreras, Cherubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec, losing so many men that the unit was nicknamed "The Bloody 11th." During the American Civil War, Delaware would raise multiple units in support of the Union cause. These units would earn distinction in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. During the Spanish–American War, the 1st Delaware Volunteer Infantry was mustered into federal service but not deployed abroad. With the passage of the Militia Act of 1903, all state militia units were folded into the National Guard of the United States, largely turning the state militias from a state-funded and controlled force to a reserve component of the federal military.