Infantry Branch (United States)
| Infantry branch | |
|---|---|
Branch insignia.
|
|
| Active | 14 June 1775 – present |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Home station | Fort Benning, Georgia |
| Nickname(s) | Queen of Battle |
| Motto(s) | Follow me |
| Branch color | Light Blue |
| Engagements |
Revolutionary War Indian Wars War of 1812 Mexican–American War Utah War American Civil War Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Banana Wars Boxer Rebellion Border War World War I Russian Civil War World War II Korean War Operation Power Pack Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw Invasion of Grenada Invasion of Panama Persian Gulf War Somali Civil War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
The Infantry Branch is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775.
Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775. However, the oldest Regular Army infantry regiment, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, was constituted on 3 June 1784, as the First American Regiment
On 3 March 1791, Congress added to the Army "The Second Regiment of Infantry"
Army organized into seven infantry regiments, 1815
Ten one year regiments were authorized by the Act of 11 February 1847. and after the Mexican–American War reduced back to pre war levels. (Mexican War expansion added eight regiments (designated 9th–16th Infantry), 1847, but these were discontinued,)
Civil war expansion to 19 regiments
In a major expansion under General Order 92, War Department, 23 November 1866, pursuant to an act of 28 July 1866 (14 Stat. 332), 2d and 3d battalions of the existing 11th- 19th Infantry Regiments were designated 20th–37th Infantry Regiments, with four new regiments (38th–41st) to be composed of black enlisted men, and new 42d-45th Infantry Regiments for wounded veterans of the Civil War.
(Reduced by consolidation to 25 regiments, under General Order 17, War Department, 15 March 1869, with the 24th and 25th constituting the black enlisted force.)
On 2 February 1901, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act which authorized five additional regiments (26th-30th).
The Militia Act of 1903 established the National Guard.
In 1916 Congress enacted the National Defense Act and under War Department General Orders Number 22 dated 30 June 1916 that ordered seven new Regiments to be organised; four in the Continental United States, one in the Philippine Islands (31st Infantry Regiment (United States), one in Hawaii (32nd Infantry Regiment (United States), and one, the 33rd Infantry, in the Canal Zone.
In 1917 a new numbering system was set up 1–100 for regular army, 101–300 for the national guard, 301 and up for the National Army (USA). 167 national guard units were renumbered from the old state system to the new federal system. However the "69th, and 71st New York" were able to lobby for their old 19th Century numbers which created doubles of these numbers.
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Wikipedia