The Infantry Branch is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775.
History Six companies of expert 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.
18th century On 3 March 1791, Congress added to the Army "The Second Regiment of Infantry" An Act of Congress on 16 July 1798 authorized twelve additional regiments of infantry An Act of Congress on 11 January 1812 increased the Regular Army to 46 infantry and 4 rifle regiments An Act of Congress on 3 March 1815 reduced the Regular Army from the 46 infantry and 4 rifle regiments it fielded in the War of 1812 to a peacetime establishment of 8 infantry regiments, further reduced to 7 in 1821. The origins of the Army's current regimental numbering system dates from this act.
19th century The Army organized into seven infantry regiments, 1821;
1st Infantry Regiment 2nd Infantry Regiment 3rd Infantry Regiment 4th Infantry Regiment 5th Infantry Regiment 6th Infantry Regiment 7th Infantry Regiment 8th Infantry Regiment (added in 1838)
Ten one-year regiments were authorized by an Act of Congress on 11 February 1847 because of the Mexican–American War, but only the 9th through 16th Infantry Regiments were activated; they did not re-form permanently until the 1850s and 1860s.
9th Infantry Regiment (United States) (added in 1855) 10th Infantry Regiment (United States) (added in 1855)
Civil War expansion to 19 regiments;
11th Infantry Regiment 12th Infantry Regiment 13th Infantry Regiment 14th Infantry Regiment 15th Infantry Regiment 16th Infantry Regiment 17th Infantry Regiment 18th Infantry Regiment 19th Infantry Regiment
In a major expansion under General Order 92, War Department, 23 November 1866, pursuant to an act of Congress of 28 July 1866 (14 Stat. 332), the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the existing 11th through 19th Infantry Regiments were expanded and designated as the 20th through 37th Infantry Regiments. Four new regiments (the 38th through 41st) were to be composed of black enlisted men, and the new 42nd through 45th Infantry Regiments for wounded veterans of the Civil War.
20th Infantry Regiment 21st Infantry Regiment 22nd Infantry Regiment 23rd Infantry Regiment 24th Infantry Regiment 25th Infantry Regiment
This was reduced by consolidation to 25 regiments under General Order 17, War Department, 15 March 1869, with the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments constituting the black enlisted force. On 2 February 1901, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act, which authorized five additional regiments, the 26th through 30th;
26th Infantry Regiment 27th Infantry Regiment 28th Infantry Regiment 29th Infantry Regiment 30th Infantry Regiment
20th century The Militia Act of 1903 standardized the regulations, organization, equipage, and training of state militia force, forming the genesis of the modern National Guard (see Militia (United States)).
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 organized; four in the Continental United States, one in the Philippine Islands (32nd Infantry Regiment), one in Hawaii (32nd Infantry Regiment), and one, the 33rd Infantry Regiment, in the Canal Zone.
31st Infantry Regiment 32nd Infantry Regiment 33rd Infantry Regiment 34th Infantry Regiment 35th Infantry Regiment 36th Infantry Regiment 37th Infantry Regiment
In 1917, a new numbering system was set up. Infantry regimental numbers 1 through 100 were allotted to the Regular Army, 101 through 300 to the National Guard, and 301 and up to the National Army. 167 National Guard units were re-organized and re-numbered from the previously used state system to the new federal system; the 71st New York Infantry Regiment was able to lobby to keep their old 19th century number which violated this numbering rule while serving on the Mexican border in 1916; however, the unit was broken up and most of its troops assigned to the 27th Division after re-federalization in 1917., pp. 34-39 The 71st was re-formed in 1919 and served in World War II as the 71st Infantry Regiment. In the 1990s the 165th Infantry Regiment (formerly the 69th New York Infantry Regiment) reverted to its old number as the 69th Infantry Regiment.
38th Infantry Regiment 39th Infantry Regiment 40th Infantry Regiment 41st Infantry Regiment 42nd Infantry Regiment 43rd Infantry Regiment (reorganized in April 1921 as a Philippine Scouts unit) 44th Infantry Regiment (reorganized in April 1921 as a Philippine Scouts unit) 45th Infantry Regiment (reorganized in April 1921 as a Philippine Scouts unit) 46th Infantry Regiment 47th Infantry Regiment 48th Infantry Regiment 49th Infantry Regiment 50th Infantry Regiment 51st Infantry Regiment 52nd Infantry Regiment 53rd Infantry Regiment 54th Infantry Regiment 55th Infantry Regiment 56th Infantry Regiment 57th Infantry Regiment (reorganized in April 1921 as a Philippine Scouts unit) 58th Infantry Regiment 59th Infantry Regiment 60th Infantry Regiment 61st Infantry Regiment 62nd Infantry Regiment 63rd Infantry Regiment 64th Infantry Regiment 65th Infantry Regiment (reorganized by the Reorganization Act of 4 June 1920 from the Puerto Rico Regiment) 66th Infantry Regiment 67th Infantry Regiment 68th Infantry Regiment 69th Infantry Regiment (United States) (the "Federal" 69th Infantry, not associated with the New York state unit) 70th Infantry Regiment 71st Infantry Regiment (the "Federal" 71st Infantry, not associated with the New York State unit; briefly existed in the 11th Division in World War I) 72nd Infantry Regiment 73rd Infantry Regiment 74th Infantry Regiment (redesignated from the 474th Infantry Regiment in 1954) 75th Infantry Regiment 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) (uses the number of the 75th Infantry Regiment, but does not carry on its lineage) 76th Infantry Regiment 77th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) 78th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) 79th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) 80th Infantry Regiment 81st Infantry Regiment 82nd Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Regiment 84th Infantry Regiment 85th Infantry Regiment 86th Infantry Regiment 87th Infantry Regiment 88th Infantry Regiment 89th Infantry Regiment 90th Infantry Regiment 91st Infantry Regiment The 92nd through 100th Infantry Regiments were never constituted
A new system, the U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System, or CARS, was adopted in 1957 to replace the old regimental system. CARS uses the Army's traditional regiments as parent organizations for historical purposes, but the primary building blocks are divisions, and brigades composed of battalions. Each battalion of a brigade carries an association with a parent regiment, even though the regimental organization (i.e., an organized headquarters) generally no longer exists. In some brigades, several numbered battalions carrying the same regimental association may still serve together, and tend to consider themselves part of their traditional regiment when in fact they are independent battalions serving a brigade, rather than a regimental, headquarters. The CARS was replaced by the U.S. Army Regimental System (USARS) in 1981, which requires soldiers to "affiliate" with a regiment of their choice, increasing esprit de corps and the possibility of soldiers serving multiple assignments with the same regiment.
21st century There are exceptions to USARS regimental titles, including the Armored Cavalry Regiments and the 75th Ranger Regiment created in 1986. On 1 October 2005, the word "regiment" was formally appended to the name of all active and inactive CARS and USARS regiments. So, for example, the 1st Cavalry officially became titled the 1st Cavalry Regiment. There are approximately 19,000 U.S. military personnel in and around Afghanistan. Troops currently in Afghanistan represent the sixth major troop rotation in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) since the United States became involved in the fall of 2001. At present, the majority of U.S. ground forces come from the Army’s Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 1st Brigade of the Fort Bragg, North Carolina–based 82nd Airborne Division and Marine elements from the Second (II) MEF from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. U.S. Special Forces are also operating in Afghanistan and are primarily concerned with capturing or killing Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders. In addition, Army units from the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade have been deployed to train the Afghan National Army.
Chief of Infantry From 1920 to 1942, the Infantry branch was led by the Chief of Infantry, who held the temporary rank of major general. This individual had responsibility for doctrine, training, equipment fielding, and other matters. During World War II, the duties of the branch chiefs, including Infantry, Cavalry, Field Artillery, Coast Artillery, were taken over by the commander of Army Ground Forces. Individuals who served as Chief of Infantry included:
Major General Charles S. Farnsworth, July 1, 1920 – March 27, 1925 Major General Robert H. Allen, March 28, 1925 – March 27, 1929 Major General Stephen O. Fuqua, March 28, 1929 – May 5, 1933 Major General Edward Croft, May 6, 1933 – April 30, 1937 Major General George A. Lynch, May 24, 1937 – April 30, 1941 Major General Courtney H. Hodges, May 31, 1941 – March 9, 1942
Branch insignia Two gold color crossed muskets, vintage 1795 Springfield musket (Model 1795 Musket), 3/4 inch in height.
Crossed muskets were first introduced into the U.S. Army as the insignia of officers and enlisted men of the Infantry on 19 November 1875 (War Department General Order No. 96 dtd 19 Nov 1875) to take effect on or before 1 June 1876. Numerous attempts in the earlier years were made to keep the insignia current with the ever-changing styles of rifles being introduced into the Army. However, in 1924 the branch insignia was standardized by the adoption of crossed muskets and the 1795 model Springfield Arsenal musket was adopted as the standard musket to be used. This was the first official United States shoulder arm, made in a government arsenal, caliber .69, flint lock, smooth bore, muzzle loader. The standardized musket now in use was first suggested by Major General Charles S. Farnsworth, U.S. Army, while he was the first Chief of Infantry, in July 1921, and approved by General Pershing, Chief of Staff, in 1922. The device adopted in 1922 has been in continual use since 1924. There have been slight modifications in the size of the insignia over the years; however, the basic design has remained unchanged.
Branch plaque The plaque design has the branch insignia, letters and border in gold. The background is Saxony blue.
Regimental insignia Personnel assigned to the Infantry branch affiliate with a specific regiment and wear the insignia of the affiliated regiment.
Regimental coat of arms There is no standard infantry regimental flag to represent all of the infantry regiments. Each regiment of infantry has its own coat of arms which appears on the breast of a displayed eagle. The background of all the infantry regimental flags is flag blue with yellow fringe.
Branch colors Saxony Blue – 65014 cloth; 67120 yarn; PMS 5415.