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5th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 5th Infantry Regiment (nicknamed the '"Bobcats"') is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army
, tracing its origins to 1808. It has participated in most of the wars the United States has fought during its history.
of 3 March 1815, which 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 (reduced to 7 in 1821). The Army's current regimental numbering system dates from this act.
Six of the old regiments (4th, 9th, 13th, 21st, 40th and 46th) were consolidated into the new 5th Regiment, which was organized on 15 May 1815 under the command of Colonel
James Miller
. The current 5th Infantry traces its actual origins to the oldest of these regiments, the 4th, which was organized in May–June 1808. After three years' garrison duty in New England
, the 4th assembled near Philadelphia in the spring of 1811. From there it proceeded by way of the Ohio and Wabash rivers to Vincennes, Indiana Territory
, reporting to the territorial governor, William Henry Harrison
, who assembled a force of volunteers and militia around the 4th. They proceeded into north central Indiana to confront the forces of the Shawnee
leader Tecumseh
and his brother Tenskwatawa
, the Prophet, who attacked on the morning of 7 November in the Battle of Tippecanoe
, where they were soundly defeated by U.S. forces.{Previously the old 4th US Infantry had served as the 4th Sub-Legion in Anthony Wayne
's Legion of the United States
which had fought at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
in 1794}.
In the spring of 1812, the 4th, commanded by then-Lieutenant Colonel Miller, was ordered to report to Brigadier General Isaac Hull
, commander of forces in the Northwest. They reached his headquarters at Detroit on 6 July, two days after being notified of the declaration of war. A week later, Hull's force crossed into Upper Canada
, forming a base at Sandwich. On 9 August the 4th, marching south to rendezvous with a supply train from Ohio, charged and broke a British-Indian force at the Battle of Maguago. A week after that, Hull surrendered Detroit and his entire command, including the 4th, to an inferior force of British, Canadians and Indians. The 4th marched into captivity at Quebec city
where the troops spent a month aboard prison ships in the St. Lawrence River before being exchanged on 29 October. The 4th lost 30 more men during the month's voyage from Quebec to Boston.
The 4th spent the years 1813–14 on the Lake Champlain
front, participating in the battles of the Chateauguay (25 October 1813) and Lacolle Mills
(30 March 1814) and the siege of Plattsburgh
(September 1814).
The new 5th Regiment's other ancestors also saw considerable action.
On the Niagara Frontier
, the old 9th Regiment served in Winfield Scott's
brigade at the battles of Chippawa (5 July 1814) and Lundy's Lane
(25–26 July 1814).
The 21st originally raised by Eleazar Wheelock Ripley was trained to both the US Manual of Arms as well as the British Light Infantry manual, Ripley felt that the 21st should be able to proficiently perform those skills which won the War of Independence, namely, hit and run and skirmish tactics, skills which was to serve the regiment well later in the war under a new commander (Donald Graves, Dry books of tactics pp 58,59). James Miller took over from Ripley in early 1814 after Ripley was promoted to Brigadier General and saw the 21st through its most rigorous tests in battle. The 21st fought at York
(26 April – 2 May 1813), Sackets Harbor
(29 May 1813), as part of Ripley's Brigade at Chippawa , Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie
(14 August 1814). At Lundy's Lane, Jacob Brown
, the overall U.S. commander, asked Miller if he could take the British artillery on the high ground dominating the battlefield. Miller replied, "I'll try, sir.". The 21st proceeded to break the British centre and take the guns with a volley and bayonet charge, holding them until the order to withdraw came from General Eleazar Ripley, Generals Brown and Scott having been incapacitated by wounds earlier in the battle. "I'll try, sir," became the 5th Infantry's regimental motto.
and Nebraska
, building and garrisoning a number of posts, protecting the great wave of settlers from native resistance, and serving as a first line of defense in case of another war with Great Britain. Perhaps the 5th's most lasting accomplishment was the construction in 1820–24 of Fort St. Anthony, at the mouth of the Minnesota River
. On completion, the Army renamed the post in honor of its commanding officer, Colonel Josiah Snelling
. Fort Snelling became the seed pearl around which the Twin Cities of Minneapolis
and St. Paul grew.
The only noteworthy engagement with Indians during this period was in the Black Hawk War
of 1832. Even here, the 5th saw limited action, engaging in combat only in the final act of the war, the Battle of Bad Axe
on 1–2 August near the modern town of Victory, Wisconsin
. Bad Axe was the last major fight between whites and Indians east of the Mississippi other than the Seminole
resistance in Florida
.
signed a bill establishing an offer by the United States to annex the Republic of Texas
, which had broken away from Mexico in 1836, and make it a state. This set off an immediate diplomatic crisis between the United States and Mexico over the southern boundary of Texas. Mexico claimed that the traditional southern boundary of Texas was the Nueces River
; the U.S. and Texas claimed it was the Rio Grande
, further south. Incoming President James Knox Polk directed Brigadier General Zachary Taylor
to form an "Army of Observation" at Corpus Christi, Texas
, ostensibly to protect the disputed zone from Mexican invasion. Five companies of the 5th Infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James S. McIntosh reported to Taylor at Corpus Christi on 11 October 1845, two days before Texas voters accepted the annexation offer.
On 9 March 1846, Taylor's army left Corpus Christi to march to the Rio Grande and assert U.S. sovereignty over the expanded area. They arrived on 28 March across the river from Matamoros
and built a fortified camp, Fort Texas, on the site of the modern city of Brownsville, Texas
. Taylor also established a supply base 27 miles east at Point Isabel, at the mouth of the river.
In late April the 5th marched with Taylor from Fort Texas to Point Isabel to clear their supply route of Mexican troops. While they were fortifying that base, the Mexican Army of the North laid siege to Fort Texas, beginning a bombardment of the post on 3 May. Taylor's army marched back from Point Isabel and met the enemy on 8 May at Palo Alto
, several miles east of the fort. In the resulting battle, the 5th Infantry broke a charge by Mexican lancers trying to break through to Taylor's supply train. Over night, the Mexicans withdrew to a better defensive position at Resaca de la Palma
, which Taylor's army assaulted on the morning of the 9th. After stiff initial fighting, U.S. dragoons overran the Mexican artillery. The 5th and 8th Regiments then led a charge that broke the Mexican center and routed their army.
Taylor's troops relieved Fort Texas, crossed the Rio Grande into undisputed Mexican territory and occupied Matamoros, where they spent most of the summer. In late August Taylor moved south toward Monterrey
, arriving on 19 September 1846. The 5th Infantry was assigned to the division of Brigadier General William J. Worth
. The Battle of Monterrey
began on 21 September. David Twiggs' division assaulted the city, soon finding itself in house-to-house fighting, while Worth's division went around the city, cutting off its communications. On the 23rd, the 5th Infantry captured Fort Soldado, completing the isolation of the Mexican forces. Worth's division also fought its way into the city, contributing to the Mexicans' decision to negotiate. They surrendered the city to Taylor in exchange for a two months' truce.
After Monterrey the 5th and the other regular regiments in Taylor's command were replaced by volunteers. They returned to Texas to join Major General Winfield Scott's expedition to Veracruz
. The whole regiment was now together, though two companies were detached during the march to Mexico City and spent their time defending supply trains from guerilla attacks. Still in Worth's division, the 5th captured Perote on 22 April 1847.
Reaching the outskirts of Mexico City, the 5th was part of the flanking movement that led to the victory at Contreras
on 19 August. The following day, they took the right flank in the assault on the bridgehead at Churubusco
. The 5th provided storming parties for the assaults on the Molino del Rey
on 8 September and Chapultepec Castle
on the 13th; the full regiment followed up in the latter seizure. Later on the 13th, the 5th joined in the seizure of the Garita San Cosme, one of the city gates of Mexico City itself. This led to the city's capitulation on the 14th.
ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
, the 5th Infantry marched from Mexico City to Veracruz and returned to the United States. They spent 1849–50 in Arkansas
and the neighboring Indian Territory
, then replaced the 7th Infantry
in Texas. In 1851 they were stationed mainly along the upper Brazos River
; by 1854 they had moved to Fort McIntosh outside the city of Laredo
.
In early 1857 the 5th moved to south Florida
, where they spent several months skirmishing with Seminole
s in the area around Fort Myers
. The 5th left Florida in June for Fort Laramie in modern-day Wyoming
, where they took part in the Buchanan
administration's expedition against the Mormons
. The regiment stayed at Camp Floyd (later Fort Crittenden) in the Great Salt Lake
valley until the autumn of 1860, when it moved to New Mexico
for operations against the Navajos
.
in the spring of 1861 for a move east, but the department commander persuaded Washington to leave the 5th on the frontier. In early 1862 a Confederate force from Texas invaded New Mexico. Four companies of the 5th formed the Union rear guard in the Confederate victory at Valverde
on 21 February, after which the Confederates occupied Albuquerque and Santa Fe
.
Two other companies of the 5th captured a field piece at the Battle of Glorieta Pass
on 28 March, the beginning of the end for the Confederate forces. The 5th also fought in the action at Peralta
on 15 April where the enemy lost a large part of their supply train. The Confederates ultimately withdrew to San Antonio
, and the 5th spent the rest of the war on frontier duty, watching for another Confederate incursion, which never came.
On 1 June 1863 John F. Reynolds
officially became colonel of the 5th; however, he was on detached service as a Major General of Volunteers, commanding a corps of the Army of the Potomac
. He was killed a month later on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg
. His replacement as commander of the 5th was another volunteer general, Daniel Butterfield
, the composer of the bugle call "Taps
". Butterfield, also wounded at Gettysburg, did not join the regiment during the war.
.
Congress expanded the Army to 41 infantry regiments in July 1866, then reduced it to 25 in March 1869. The 5th absorbed half of the 37th Infantry, including its commander, Colonel and Brevet
Major General Nelson A. Miles
, who took command of the 5th. Under his command, the 5th, with some companies operating at times as mounted infantry
, took part in many of the major Indian wars of the next twelve years.
In the spring of 1870, the 5th beat off Indian attacks on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. From July 1874 to February 1875, Miles led a mixed force of the 5th Infantry and 6th Cavalry in campaigns against the Southern Cheyenne, Comanche
and Kiowa
Indians along the Red and Washita Rivers in Indian Territory and Texas. The 5th Infantry also played a major role in the Red River War
.
In the spring of 1876 the largest Indian confederation of the post-Civil War period formed in the northern plains, led by Sitting Bull
and Crazy Horse
of the Lakota Indians. The Army organized a three-pronged expedition to round up this force, but the Indians scored major victories against two of the three, stopping George Crook's
southern pincer at the Battle of the Rosebud
on 17 June and destroying half of the 7th Cavalry, vanguard of Alfred Terry's
eastern column, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
on 25–26 June.
Reinforcements were rushed in, including the 5th Infantry, which built Fort Keogh at the mouth of the Tongue River in Montana, and began operating from there. Miles and the 5th caught up to Sitting Bull at Cedar Creek in late October and, failing to negotiate his surrender, defeated his band in battle, forcing them to abandon most of their food and equipment. 2000 Lakota of this group surrendered on 27 October, although Sitting Bull himself escaped. 3 companies of the 5th pursued Sitting Bull along the Missouri River, capturing his camp and scattering his followers on 18 December.
Miles returned to the Tongue River with a force from the 5th and 22nd Infantry to pursue Crazy Horse. They captured several important prisoners in the valley below the Wolf Mountains on 7 January 1877, leading to a confrontation with the main body the following day. The 5th, attacking superior numbers in near-blizzard conditions, drove the Lakota and Cheyenne force off the high ground, forcing them to retreat. The 5th continued to pursue and round up bands from the broken confederacy into the summer of 1877.
In July 1877 the Nez Perce Indians under Chief Joseph
began to march east from Idaho across Montana, pursued by Major General Oliver O. Howard's
troops from the Department of the Columbia. Miles was in position to interdict this force, and moved toward them in mid-September with battalions of the 5th Infantry and 7th Cavalry. They attacked the Nez Perces in a valley of the Bear Paw Mountains on 30 September, capturing their horses and forcing their surrender on 4 October.
The Bannock
Indians tried to repeat the Nez Perces' march a year later. A detachment of the 5th attacked their camp on Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone on 4 September 1878 and broke up their incursion. The 5th continued in active pursuit of independent Lakota bands until the surrender of Sitting Bull on 20 July 1881.
After several quiet years, the 5th Infantry was transferred to Texas in 1888 and later to points further east. By 1894 the regiment was dispersed from Texas to Kansas to Florida. With the closing of the frontier, its role had changed from Indian fighting to peacetime garrison duty.
45 members of the regiment received the Medal of Honor
for service during this period:
though it performed occupation duties. It saw action in the Philippines during the war of 1900. For service in Philippines, the 5th Infantry was presented one Battle Streamer without inscription.
, Panama Canal Zone
from 1939–1943. It had previously been posted at Fort Williams, Maine
, where it was nominally assigned to the inactive 9th Infantry Division.
With the onset of World War II, the 5th Infantry was made a part of the 71st Infantry Division and participated in an experiment to develop a "light" infantry division, capable of operating in harsh terrain from the mountains to the desert. The light division was deemed unnecessary for World War II and the 71st Infantry Division was converted back to a regular infantry division. The 5th was sent to Europe in January 1945 with the rest of the division and was in the front lines a month later. Initially taking defensive positions, the 5th was soon on the offensive, driving into Germany. The regiment fought through southern Germany, capturing the cities of Fulda
, Bayreuth and Nuremberg
. The 5th Infantry was the first U.S. Army unit to cross the Danube River and the first to invade Austria. For its participation in the Second World War, the 5th was presented the following Battle Streamers: Rhineland, Central Europe, and American Theater.
began.
It deployed to Korea on 25 July 1950 to reinforce Eighth Army in the shrinking area of United Nations
control known as the Pusan Perimeter. In July and August it reinforced the 25th Infantry Division, then the 1st Cavalry Division on the Naktong River line. In September the RCT was attached to the 24th Infantry Division, replacing the 34th Infantry Regiment
. It remained with the 24th Infantry Division until January 1952 when it officially became a separate RCT again and was assigned to IX Corps.
The 5th Regimental Combat Team consisted of:
Fought in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter
.
Two 5th Infantry soldiers received the Medal of Honor for service in Korea:
On 11 October 1953, Company A, 1st Section, Machine Gun Platoon, Company D, and Forward Observer Team, 555th Field Artillery Battalion were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, for actions in the vicinity of Songnae-dong, Korea on 12 June 1953. On 18 November 2005 the award was amended to include the following units:
Actor James Garner
(The Rockford Files
) served in the 5th RCT during the Korean War, when he was awarded two Purple Heart
s.
, Kansas
. It was reassigned to the 25th Division on 1 February 1963 and reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry on 12 August.
It was sent to Vietnam in January 1966 and it was one of the few Mechanized Units to serve in that war. Though faced with considerable problems posed by operating in the jungle, The Fifth fought fiercely and was feared by the enemy.
The 5th fought for 5 hard years in Vietnam, again establishing its reputation for tough fighting, perseverance in harsh conditions and excellence in the face of enemy opposition. For its participation in the Vietnam War The 5th Infantry was presented the following Battle Streamers: Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase II, Counteroffensive Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase IV, Counteroffensive Phase V, Counteroffensive Phase VI, Tet 69/ Counteroffensive, Summer–Fall 1969, Winter–Spring 1970, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase VII; Presidential Unit Citation, Ben Cui; Valorous Unit Award, Cu Chi.
In 1975 the 5th Infantry was deployed to Ortoe Point, Guam
. Their mission was to build the first tent city to help inprocess the refugees from Vietnam. They not only built the city, but they also did supplies, cooking, and setup the electricity to maintain the city. Their mission lasted 90 days as part of the 5th Support Group.
Two 5th Infantry soldiers received the Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam:
In August 1995 the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment was re-assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington as part of the 1st Brigade "Lancers," 25th Infantry Division (Light). In 1996 the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry participated in the Advanced Warfighting Experiment, which culminated with a National Training Center rotation in March 1997. The battalion received the Army Superior Unit Award for its outstanding contribution to the Advanced Warfighting Experiment. For its participation in the Advanced Warfighting Experiment the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry was presented with the Army Superior Unit Award, 1996–1997.
The 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry was reactivated on 16 August 1995 and assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The 2nd Battalion served a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan from May 2004 to May 2005 as part of the 25th Division's Task Force Bronco. For its service in Afghanistan, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. As part of the modular conversion of the 25th Infantry Division, the 2nd Battalion was inactivated on 16 November 2005.
In early 2002 the 1st Brigade "Lancers" began its conversion from a light infantry brigade to a Stryker brigade. It began a one-year tour of duty in Iraq in October 2004. The brigade returned to Fort Lewis in September 2005. The 1st Brigade was temporarily inactive from June–October 2006.
The 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment is now part of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Arctic Wolves," 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Foreign Decorations
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, tracing its origins to 1808. It has participated in most of the wars the United States has fought during its history.
Origins—War of 1812
Technically, the 5th Infantry Regiment was created by an Act of CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
of 3 March 1815, which reduced the Regular Army from the 46 infantry and 4 rifle regiments it fielded in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
to a peacetime establishment of 8 infantry regiments (reduced to 7 in 1821). The Army's current regimental numbering system dates from this act.
Six of the old regiments (4th, 9th, 13th, 21st, 40th and 46th) were consolidated into the new 5th Regiment, which was organized on 15 May 1815 under the command of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
James Miller
James Miller (general)
James Miller was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire, the first Governor of Arkansas Territory, and a Brigadier General in the United States Army during the War of 1812....
. The current 5th Infantry traces its actual origins to the oldest of these regiments, the 4th, which was organized in May–June 1808. After three years' garrison duty in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, the 4th assembled near Philadelphia in the spring of 1811. From there it proceeded by way of the Ohio and Wabash rivers to Vincennes, Indiana Territory
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
, reporting to the territorial governor, William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, who assembled a force of volunteers and militia around the 4th. They proceeded into north central Indiana to confront the forces of the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
leader Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
and his brother Tenskwatawa
Tenskwatawa
Tenskwatawa, was a Native American religious and political leader of the Shawnee tribe, known as The Prophet or the Shawnee Prophet. He was the brother of Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee...
, the Prophet, who attacked on the morning of 7 November in the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
, where they were soundly defeated by U.S. forces.{Previously the old 4th US Infantry had served as the 4th Sub-Legion in Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
's Legion of the United States
Legion of the United States
The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the United States Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne.-Origins:The impetus for the Legion came from General Arthur St...
which had fought at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory...
in 1794}.
In the spring of 1812, the 4th, commanded by then-Lieutenant Colonel Miller, was ordered to report to Brigadier General Isaac Hull
Isaac Hull
-External links:* *...
, commander of forces in the Northwest. They reached his headquarters at Detroit on 6 July, two days after being notified of the declaration of war. A week later, Hull's force crossed into Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, forming a base at Sandwich. On 9 August the 4th, marching south to rendezvous with a supply train from Ohio, charged and broke a British-Indian force at the Battle of Maguago. A week after that, Hull surrendered Detroit and his entire command, including the 4th, to an inferior force of British, Canadians and Indians. The 4th marched into captivity at Quebec city
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
where the troops spent a month aboard prison ships in the St. Lawrence River before being exchanged on 29 October. The 4th lost 30 more men during the month's voyage from Quebec to Boston.
The 4th spent the years 1813–14 on the Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
front, participating in the battles of the Chateauguay (25 October 1813) and Lacolle Mills
Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814)
The Second Battle of Lacolle Mills was fought on 30 March 1814 during the War of 1812. The small garrison of a British outpost position, aided by reinforcements, fought off a large American attack.-Background:After the St...
(30 March 1814) and the siege of Plattsburgh
Battle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812...
(September 1814).
The new 5th Regiment's other ancestors also saw considerable action.
On the Niagara Frontier
Niagara Frontier
The Niagara Frontier refers to the stretch of land south of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and extending westward to Cleveland, Ohio. The term dates to the War of 1812. This only includes the land east of the Niagara River and south of Lake Erie within the United States...
, the old 9th Regiment served in Winfield Scott's
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
brigade at the battles of Chippawa (5 July 1814) and Lundy's Lane
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the Anglo-American War of 1812, which took place on 25 July 1814, in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario...
(25–26 July 1814).
The 21st originally raised by Eleazar Wheelock Ripley was trained to both the US Manual of Arms as well as the British Light Infantry manual, Ripley felt that the 21st should be able to proficiently perform those skills which won the War of Independence, namely, hit and run and skirmish tactics, skills which was to serve the regiment well later in the war under a new commander (Donald Graves, Dry books of tactics pp 58,59). James Miller took over from Ripley in early 1814 after Ripley was promoted to Brigadier General and saw the 21st through its most rigorous tests in battle. The 21st fought at York
Battle of York
The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on 27 April 1813, at York, Upper Canada . An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west, defeated the defending British force and captured the town and dockyard...
(26 April – 2 May 1813), Sackets Harbor
Sackets Harbor, New York
Sackets Harbor is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,386 at the 2000 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who founded it in the early 19th century.The Village of Sackets Harbor is within the western part of the...
(29 May 1813), as part of Ripley's Brigade at Chippawa , Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie
Siege of Fort Erie
The Siege of Fort Erie was one of the last and most protracted engagements between British and American forces during the Niagara campaign of the American War of 1812...
(14 August 1814). At Lundy's Lane, Jacob Brown
Jacob Brown
Jacob Jennings Brown was an American army officer in the War of 1812. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a hero. In 1821 he was appointed commanding general of the U.S. Army and held that post until his death.-Early life:Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jacob Jennings...
, the overall U.S. commander, asked Miller if he could take the British artillery on the high ground dominating the battlefield. Miller replied, "I'll try, sir.". The 21st proceeded to break the British centre and take the guns with a volley and bayonet charge, holding them until the order to withdraw came from General Eleazar Ripley, Generals Brown and Scott having been incapacitated by wounds earlier in the battle. "I'll try, sir," became the 5th Infantry's regimental motto.
1815–45
The 5th Regiment established headquarters at Detroit in 1815 and began a 30 year period in which it operated in the Upper Midwest, mostly in an area between the current states of MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, building and garrisoning a number of posts, protecting the great wave of settlers from native resistance, and serving as a first line of defense in case of another war with Great Britain. Perhaps the 5th's most lasting accomplishment was the construction in 1820–24 of Fort St. Anthony, at the mouth of the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
. On completion, the Army renamed the post in honor of its commanding officer, Colonel Josiah Snelling
Josiah Snelling
Colonel Josiah Snelling was the first commander of Fort Snelling, a fort located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in Minnesota. He was responsible for the initial design and construction of the fort, and he commanded it from 1820 through 1827. He had a reputation for...
. Fort Snelling became the seed pearl around which the Twin Cities of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and St. Paul grew.
The only noteworthy engagement with Indians during this period was in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
of 1832. Even here, the 5th saw limited action, engaging in combat only in the final act of the war, the Battle of Bad Axe
Battle of Bad Axe
The Battle of Bad Axe, also known as the Bad Axe Massacre, occurred 1–2 August 1832, between Sauk and Fox Indians and United States Army regulars and militia. This final battle of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the United States...
on 1–2 August near the modern town of Victory, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Bad Axe was the last major fight between whites and Indians east of the Mississippi other than the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
resistance in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Mexican War
On 1 March 1845, three days before he left office, President John TylerJohn Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
signed a bill establishing an offer by the United States to annex the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
, which had broken away from Mexico in 1836, and make it a state. This set off an immediate diplomatic crisis between the United States and Mexico over the southern boundary of Texas. Mexico claimed that the traditional southern boundary of Texas was the Nueces River
Nueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
; the U.S. and Texas claimed it was the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, further south. Incoming President James Knox Polk directed Brigadier General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
to form an "Army of Observation" at Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, ostensibly to protect the disputed zone from Mexican invasion. Five companies of the 5th Infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James S. McIntosh reported to Taylor at Corpus Christi on 11 October 1845, two days before Texas voters accepted the annexation offer.
On 9 March 1846, Taylor's army left Corpus Christi to march to the Rio Grande and assert U.S. sovereignty over the expanded area. They arrived on 28 March across the river from Matamoros
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
and built a fortified camp, Fort Texas, on the site of the modern city of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
. Taylor also established a supply base 27 miles east at Point Isabel, at the mouth of the river.
In late April the 5th marched with Taylor from Fort Texas to Point Isabel to clear their supply route of Mexican troops. While they were fortifying that base, the Mexican Army of the North laid siege to Fort Texas, beginning a bombardment of the post on 3 May. Taylor's army marched back from Point Isabel and met the enemy on 8 May at Palo Alto
Battle of Palo Alto
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas...
, several miles east of the fort. In the resulting battle, the 5th Infantry broke a charge by Mexican lancers trying to break through to Taylor's supply train. Over night, the Mexicans withdrew to a better defensive position at Resaca de la Palma
Battle of Resaca de la Palma
At the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, one of the early engagements of the Mexican-American War,United States General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican Ejército del Norte under General Mariano Arista on May 9, 1846.-Background:During the night of May 8, following...
, which Taylor's army assaulted on the morning of the 9th. After stiff initial fighting, U.S. dragoons overran the Mexican artillery. The 5th and 8th Regiments then led a charge that broke the Mexican center and routed their army.
Taylor's troops relieved Fort Texas, crossed the Rio Grande into undisputed Mexican territory and occupied Matamoros, where they spent most of the summer. In late August Taylor moved south toward Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, arriving on 19 September 1846. The 5th Infantry was assigned to the division of Brigadier General William J. Worth
William J. Worth
William Jenkins Worth was a United States general during the Mexican-American War.-Early life:Worth was born in 1794 in Hudson, New York, to Thomas Worth and Abigail Jenkins. Both of his parents were Quakers, but he rejected the pacifism of their faith...
. The Battle of Monterrey
Battle of Monterrey
In the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by U.S...
began on 21 September. David Twiggs' division assaulted the city, soon finding itself in house-to-house fighting, while Worth's division went around the city, cutting off its communications. On the 23rd, the 5th Infantry captured Fort Soldado, completing the isolation of the Mexican forces. Worth's division also fought its way into the city, contributing to the Mexicans' decision to negotiate. They surrendered the city to Taylor in exchange for a two months' truce.
After Monterrey the 5th and the other regular regiments in Taylor's command were replaced by volunteers. They returned to Texas to join Major General Winfield Scott's expedition to Veracruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
. The whole regiment was now together, though two companies were detached during the march to Mexico City and spent their time defending supply trains from guerilla attacks. Still in Worth's division, the 5th captured Perote on 22 April 1847.
Reaching the outskirts of Mexico City, the 5th was part of the flanking movement that led to the victory at Contreras
Battle of Contreras
The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place during August 19–20, 1847, in the final encounters of the Mexican-American War. In the Battle of Churubusco, fighting continued the following day.-Background:...
on 19 August. The following day, they took the right flank in the assault on the bridgehead at Churubusco
Battle of Churubusco
The Battle of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Contreras during the Mexican-American War. After defeating the Mexican army at Churubusco, the U.S. Army was only 5 miles away from Mexico City, the capital of the nation...
. The 5th provided storming parties for the assaults on the Molino del Rey
Battle of Molino del Rey
The Battle of Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio Léon against an American force under General Winfield Scott at a hill called El Molino del Rey near Mexico City.-Background:On...
on 8 September and Chapultepec Castle
Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec, in September 1847, was a United States victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.-Background:On September 13, 1847, in the costly Battle of Molino del Rey, U.S...
on the 13th; the full regiment followed up in the latter seizure. Later on the 13th, the 5th joined in the seizure of the Garita San Cosme, one of the city gates of Mexico City itself. This led to the city's capitulation on the 14th.
1848–61
In May 1848, after the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
, the 5th Infantry marched from Mexico City to Veracruz and returned to the United States. They spent 1849–50 in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and the neighboring Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, then replaced the 7th Infantry
7th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottenbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the...
in Texas. In 1851 they were stationed mainly along the upper Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
; by 1854 they had moved to Fort McIntosh outside the city of Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
.
In early 1857 the 5th moved to south Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where they spent several months skirmishing with Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s in the area around Fort Myers
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
. The 5th left Florida in June for Fort Laramie in modern-day Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where they took part in the Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
administration's expedition against the Mormons
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. The regiment stayed at Camp Floyd (later Fort Crittenden) in the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
valley until the autumn of 1860, when it moved to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
for operations against the Navajos
Navajo Wars
The Navajo Wars were a series of battles and other conflicts, often separated with treaties that involved raids by different Navajo bands on the rancheras along the Rio Grande and the counter campaigns by the Spanish, Mexican, and United States governments, and sometimes their civilian elements....
.
Civil War
The 5th Infantry spent the Civil War in the territory of New Mexico. The regiment was ordered to concentrate at AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
in the spring of 1861 for a move east, but the department commander persuaded Washington to leave the 5th on the frontier. In early 1862 a Confederate force from Texas invaded New Mexico. Four companies of the 5th formed the Union rear guard in the Confederate victory at Valverde
Battle of Valverde
The Battle of Valverde, or the Battle of Valverde Ford from February 20 to February 21, 1862, was fought near the town of Valverde at a ford of Valverde Creek in Confederate Arizona, in what is today the state of New Mexico. It was a major Confederate success in the New Mexico Campaign of the...
on 21 February, after which the Confederates occupied Albuquerque and Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
.
Two other companies of the 5th captured a field piece at the Battle of Glorieta Pass
Battle of Glorieta Pass
The Battle of Glorieta Pass, fought from March 26 to 28, 1862 in northern New Mexico Territory, was the decisive battle of the New Mexico Campaign during the American Civil War. Dubbed the "Gettysburg of the West" by some historians, it was intended as the killer blow by Confederate forces to break...
on 28 March, the beginning of the end for the Confederate forces. The 5th also fought in the action at Peralta
Peralta, New Mexico
Peralta is a town in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. Prior to its incorporation on July 1, 2007, it was a census-designated place...
on 15 April where the enemy lost a large part of their supply train. The Confederates ultimately withdrew to San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, and the 5th spent the rest of the war on frontier duty, watching for another Confederate incursion, which never came.
On 1 June 1863 John F. Reynolds
John F. Reynolds
John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.-Early...
officially became colonel of the 5th; however, he was on detached service as a Major General of Volunteers, commanding a corps of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. He was killed a month later on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. His replacement as commander of the 5th was another volunteer general, Daniel Butterfield
Daniel Butterfield
Daniel Adams Butterfield was a New York businessman, a Union General in the American Civil War, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York. He is credited with composing the bugle call Taps and was involved in the Black Friday gold scandal in the Grant administration...
, the composer of the bugle call "Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
". Butterfield, also wounded at Gettysburg, did not join the regiment during the war.
1865–98
When the Civil War ended, the bulk of the Regular Army returned from war service in the east to frontier duty in the west. The 5th Infantry moved slightly in the other direction, transferring from New Mexico to Kansas. By October 1868 it was strung out across seven different posts in western Kansas, with headquarters at Fort RileyFort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
.
Congress expanded the Army to 41 infantry regiments in July 1866, then reduced it to 25 in March 1869. The 5th absorbed half of the 37th Infantry, including its commander, Colonel and Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major General Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
, who took command of the 5th. Under his command, the 5th, with some companies operating at times as mounted infantry
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
, took part in many of the major Indian wars of the next twelve years.
In the spring of 1870, the 5th beat off Indian attacks on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. From July 1874 to February 1875, Miles led a mixed force of the 5th Infantry and 6th Cavalry in campaigns against the Southern Cheyenne, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
and Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
Indians along the Red and Washita Rivers in Indian Territory and Texas. The 5th Infantry also played a major role in the Red River War
Red River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874, as part of the Comanche War, to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains and forcibly relocate them to reservations in Indian Territory...
.
In the spring of 1876 the largest Indian confederation of the post-Civil War period formed in the northern plains, led by Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
and Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
of the Lakota Indians. The Army organized a three-pronged expedition to round up this force, but the Indians scored major victories against two of the three, stopping George Crook's
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
southern pincer at the Battle of the Rosebud
Battle of the Rosebud
The Battle of the Rosebud occurred June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Lakota Native Americans during the Black Hills War...
on 17 June and destroying half of the 7th Cavalry, vanguard of Alfred Terry's
Alfred Terry
Alfred Howe Terry was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869 and again from 1872 to 1886.-Early life and career:...
eastern column, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
on 25–26 June.
Reinforcements were rushed in, including the 5th Infantry, which built Fort Keogh at the mouth of the Tongue River in Montana, and began operating from there. Miles and the 5th caught up to Sitting Bull at Cedar Creek in late October and, failing to negotiate his surrender, defeated his band in battle, forcing them to abandon most of their food and equipment. 2000 Lakota of this group surrendered on 27 October, although Sitting Bull himself escaped. 3 companies of the 5th pursued Sitting Bull along the Missouri River, capturing his camp and scattering his followers on 18 December.
Miles returned to the Tongue River with a force from the 5th and 22nd Infantry to pursue Crazy Horse. They captured several important prisoners in the valley below the Wolf Mountains on 7 January 1877, leading to a confrontation with the main body the following day. The 5th, attacking superior numbers in near-blizzard conditions, drove the Lakota and Cheyenne force off the high ground, forcing them to retreat. The 5th continued to pursue and round up bands from the broken confederacy into the summer of 1877.
In July 1877 the Nez Perce Indians under Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
began to march east from Idaho across Montana, pursued by Major General Oliver O. Howard's
Oliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
troops from the Department of the Columbia. Miles was in position to interdict this force, and moved toward them in mid-September with battalions of the 5th Infantry and 7th Cavalry. They attacked the Nez Perces in a valley of the Bear Paw Mountains on 30 September, capturing their horses and forcing their surrender on 4 October.
The Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
Indians tried to repeat the Nez Perces' march a year later. A detachment of the 5th attacked their camp on Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone on 4 September 1878 and broke up their incursion. The 5th continued in active pursuit of independent Lakota bands until the surrender of Sitting Bull on 20 July 1881.
After several quiet years, the 5th Infantry was transferred to Texas in 1888 and later to points further east. By 1894 the regiment was dispersed from Texas to Kansas to Florida. With the closing of the frontier, its role had changed from Indian fighting to peacetime garrison duty.
45 members of the regiment received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for service during this period:
- First Lieutenant George W. BairdGeorge W. BairdGeorge William Baird was a US Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Indian Wars.- Early life :...
, regimental adjutantAdjutantAdjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, 30 September 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana - Musician John Baker, Company D, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Private Richard Burke, Company G, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Captain Edmond ButlerEdmond ButlerEdmund or Edmond Butler was a U.S. Army officer who served with the Union Army during the American Civil War and later became a prominent Indian fighter in the Northern Plains, Rocky Mountains and southwest United States in the post-Civil War era...
, 8 January 1877, Wolf Mountain, Montana - Sergeant Dennis Byrne, Company G, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Private Joseph A. Cable, Company I, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Private James S. Calvert, Company C, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- First Lieutenant Mason CarterMason CarterMason Carter was a U.S. Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars during the late 19th century...
, 30 September 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana - Captain James S. CaseyJames S. CaseyJames Seaman Casey was a US Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Indian Wars. He was born in Philadelphia....
, 8 January 1877, Wolf Mountain, Montana - Sergeant Aquilla CoonrodAquilla CoonrodAquilla Coonrod or Coonrad was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 14th, 48th and 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War, and with the 7th U.S. Cavalry and the 5th U.S...
, Company C, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc. - Sergeant William De Armond, Company I, 9 – 11 September 1874, Upper Washita, Texas
- Private John S. Donelly, Company G, October 1876 – January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Private Christopher FreemeyerChristopher FreemeyerPrivate Christopher Freemeyer was a German-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 5th U.S. Infantry during the Indian Wars. He was one of thirty-one men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during General Nelson A...
, Company D, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc. - Corporal John Haddoo, Company B, October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Sergeant Fred S. Hay, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- First Sergeant Henry HoganHenry HoganHenry Hogan was a First Sergeant in the United States Army during the Black Hills War. He is noted as one of only nineteen individuals to receive the Medal of Honor twice.-Biography:...
, Company G, two awards (one of 19 two-time recipients):
-
- October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- 30 September 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana
- Corporal David Holland, Company A, October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Private Fred O. Hunt, Company A, October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Corporal John James, 9–11 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- Corporal Edward Johnston, Company C, October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana etc.
- Corporal John J. H. Kelly, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- Corporal Thomas Kelly, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- Private Philip Kennedy, Company C, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Sergeant John W. Knox, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- Sergeant William Koelpin, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Wichita, Texas
- First Sergeant Wendelin Kreher, Company C, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Second Lieutenant Oscar F. Long, 30 September 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana
- Private Michael McCormick, Company G, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- First Lieutenant Robert McDonald, 8 January 1877, Wolf Mountain, 1877
- Private Owen McGar, Company C, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Private John McHugh, Company A, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Sergeant Michael McLoughlin, Company A, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Sergeant Robert McPhelan, Company E, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Corporal George Miller, Company H, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- First Sergeant John Mitchell, Company I, 9 September 1874, Upper Washita, Texas
- Private Charles H. Montrose, Company I, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- First Sergeant David Roche, Company A, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Private Henry RodenburgHenry RodenburgHenry Rodenburg was a United States Army soldier received the Medal of Honor. His award came for gallantry in the Indian Wars.-Biography:Rodenburg was born in Germany in 1851...
, Company A, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc. - First Lieutenant Henry Romeyn, 30 September 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana
- Private Edward Rooney, Company D, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Private David Ryan, Company G, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Private Charles Sheppard, Company A, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Sergeant William Wallace, Company C, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Private Patton G. Whitehead, Company C, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
- Corporal Charles Wilson, Company H, 21 October 1876 – 8 January 1877, Cedar Creek, Montana, etc.
Spanish-American War, Philippine–American War
The 5th Infantry did not arrive in time to participate in the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
though it performed occupation duties. It saw action in the Philippines during the war of 1900. For service in Philippines, the 5th Infantry was presented one Battle Streamer without inscription.
World War I
The 5th Infantry did not participate in combat operations in World War I, but did perform occupational duties.World War II
The 5th Infantry was posted at Camp ParaisoParaíso
Paraíso, the Spanish and Portuguese word for paradise, or paraiso, the Tagalog equivalent, may refer to:-Places:Belize*Paraiso, Belize; see Districts of BelizeBrazil*Paraíso, Santa Catarina*Paraíso, São PauloCosta Rica*Paraíso, Costa Rica...
, Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
from 1939–1943. It had previously been posted at Fort Williams, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, where it was nominally assigned to the inactive 9th Infantry Division.
With the onset of World War II, the 5th Infantry was made a part of the 71st Infantry Division and participated in an experiment to develop a "light" infantry division, capable of operating in harsh terrain from the mountains to the desert. The light division was deemed unnecessary for World War II and the 71st Infantry Division was converted back to a regular infantry division. The 5th was sent to Europe in January 1945 with the rest of the division and was in the front lines a month later. Initially taking defensive positions, the 5th was soon on the offensive, driving into Germany. The regiment fought through southern Germany, capturing the cities of Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
, Bayreuth and Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. The 5th Infantry was the first U.S. Army unit to cross the Danube River and the first to invade Austria. For its participation in the Second World War, the 5th was presented the following Battle Streamers: Rhineland, Central Europe, and American Theater.
Korean War
The 5th Infantry performed occupation duty in Austria for a year after the war, and was deactivated in November 1946. The regiment reactivated in South Korea on 1 January 1949, with personnel and support units from the departing 7th Infantry Division. It constituted the core of the 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team (RCT) with the mission to provide security while all U.S. troops were withdrawn from the country. The 5th RCT left Korea effective 31 June 1949 and was transferred to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where it was when the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
began.
It deployed to Korea on 25 July 1950 to reinforce Eighth Army in the shrinking area of United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
control known as the Pusan Perimeter. In July and August it reinforced the 25th Infantry Division, then the 1st Cavalry Division on the Naktong River line. In September the RCT was attached to the 24th Infantry Division, replacing the 34th Infantry Regiment
34th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 34th Infantry Regiment is a Regular Army infantry regiment of the United States Army. It saw combat in World War I, in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II, and was the first full American regiment deployed in combat in the Korean War...
. It remained with the 24th Infantry Division until January 1952 when it officially became a separate RCT again and was assigned to IX Corps.
The 5th Regimental Combat Team consisted of:
- 5th Infantry Regiment
- 555 Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) (The "Triple-Nickel")
- 72nd Engineer Company
- 5th Tank Company
- Heavy Mortar Company
- 5th Medical Company
- 5th Aviation Section
Fought in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter
Battle of Pusan Perimeter
The Battle of Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 – September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War...
.
Two 5th Infantry soldiers received the Medal of Honor for service in Korea:
- Second Lieutenant Carl H. DoddCarl H. DoddCarl H. Dodd was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on January 30, and January 31, 1951.-Medal of Honor citation:...
, Company E, 30–31 January 1951, near Subuk - Master Sergeant Melvin O. HandrichMelvin O. HandrichMelvin O. Handrich was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 25 and 26, 1950, during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter...
, Company C, 25–26 August 1950, near Sobuk-SanSeobuksanSeobuksan is a mountain in South Korea. It is about eight miles west of Masan in Gyeongsangnam-do. Seobuksan has an elevation of ....
Mountain (posthumous)
On 11 October 1953, Company A, 1st Section, Machine Gun Platoon, Company D, and Forward Observer Team, 555th Field Artillery Battalion were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, for actions in the vicinity of Songnae-dong, Korea on 12 June 1953. On 18 November 2005 the award was amended to include the following units:
- 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th Squads, 2d Section Machine Gun Platoon
- Recoilless Rifle Platoon
- Forward Observers, 81 MM Mortar Platoon, Company D
Actor James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
(The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
) served in the 5th RCT during the Korean War, when he was awarded two Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
s.
Vietnam War
In 1959 the 1st Battle Group, 5th Infantry was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort RileyFort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It was reassigned to the 25th Division on 1 February 1963 and reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry on 12 August.
It was sent to Vietnam in January 1966 and it was one of the few Mechanized Units to serve in that war. Though faced with considerable problems posed by operating in the jungle, The Fifth fought fiercely and was feared by the enemy.
- The 5th won a Valorous Unit Award when The 2nd Brigade Task Force, 25th Infantry Division, distinguished itself by extraordinary heroism in ground combat against the Viet Cong in the Republic of Vietnam during the period January through April 1966. Ordered to secure a base of operations for itself and the remainder of the 25th Infantry Division in the vicinity of the town Tan An Hoi in the Cu Chi District of Vietnam, the Brigade Task Force embarked on 66 days of continuous combat operations in a completely Viet Cong dominated, heavily entrenched and fiercely defended area. On January 1966, combat operations began to seize, clear and secure the area selected for a base of operations. For the initial four days, brigade combat elements moved forward against devastating automatic weapons and continual harassing sniper fire, well established mine fields and vast underground systems of tunnels, trenches, spider holes and fortifications unrivaled in Vietnam. Displaying extraordinary heroism and unwavering determination, task force elements methodically cleared the area of a fanatical enemy force that was manning the fortifications. This entire action was characterized by numerous acts of personnel sacrifice and heroism. During the period 30 January to 5 April, the Brigade conducted eleven major operations against the Viet Cong with battalion or larger sized forces engaged in fierce battle against a hostile enemy. On 5 April 1966, after 66 days of continuous combat, the Brigade had seized, cleared and secured the base of operations and surrounding area in the vicinity of Cu Chi, Republic of Vietnam. A total of 449 Viet Cong had been killed by body count. Viet Cong activities throughout the Cu Chi District were severely disrupted and the Viet Cong greatly discredited in the eyes of the local populace. During those momentous 66 days, the Brigade displayed utmost courage and indomitable spirit, and as a unit it demonstrated extraordinary heroism as it unwaveringly and unceasingly pitted itself against hard core, experienced, and entrenched and determined enemy forces. The indomitable spirit and extraordinary heroism with which the 2nd Brigade Task Force engaged, battled and defeated a fortified and determined enemy during this period of continuous combat operations is in keeping with the finest tradition of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon all members of the Task Force who participated in the Battle for Cu Chi. *(text of the Valorous Unit Award)
- Under the Command of then Lieutenant Colonel, now Major General (Retired), Andrew H. Anderson, The 5th Infantry (Mech) received its third Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit CitationThe Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
: "The 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division and its attached units distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroism in combat operations against numerically superior enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam from 18 August to 20 September 1968. During this period the 1st Battalion Task Force, through reconnaissance in force, ambush, counterambush, and reaction missions effectively destroyed a regimental-size enemy force and prevented the enemy from seizing the initiative in its "third offensive." The officers and men of the Task Force displayed outstanding bravery, high morale, and exemplary esprit de corps in fierce hand-to-hand combat and counteroffensive action against well disciplined, heavily armed and entrenched enemy forces. An example of the outstanding bravery and aggressiveness occurred 21 August during a reconnaissance in force mission. The lead elements of Company C, 1st Battalion came under heavy mortar, rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun, and automatic weapons fire. The company deployed against the enemy forces while the scout platoon protected the company flank and prevented reinforcement by a battalion-size enemy unit. Through skillful use of close supporting fires from artillery, helicopter gunship and tactical air, the officers and the men of the Task Force repulsed human wave counterattacks and defeated a numerically superior enemy force, which left one hundred and eighty-two dead on the battlefield. The individual act of gallantry, the teamwork and the aggressiveness of the officers and men of the 1st Battalion Task Force continued throughout the period of prolonged combat operations, resulting in the resounding defeat of enemy forces in their operational area. The heroic efforts, extraordinary bravery and professional competence displayed by the men of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry and attached units are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon themselves, their units, and the Armed Forces of the United States."
The 5th fought for 5 hard years in Vietnam, again establishing its reputation for tough fighting, perseverance in harsh conditions and excellence in the face of enemy opposition. For its participation in the Vietnam War The 5th Infantry was presented the following Battle Streamers: Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase II, Counteroffensive Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase IV, Counteroffensive Phase V, Counteroffensive Phase VI, Tet 69/ Counteroffensive, Summer–Fall 1969, Winter–Spring 1970, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase VII; Presidential Unit Citation, Ben Cui; Valorous Unit Award, Cu Chi.
In 1975 the 5th Infantry was deployed to Ortoe Point, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Their mission was to build the first tent city to help inprocess the refugees from Vietnam. They not only built the city, but they also did supplies, cooking, and setup the electricity to maintain the city. Their mission lasted 90 days as part of the 5th Support Group.
Two 5th Infantry soldiers received the Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam:
- First Lieutenant Stephen Holden DoaneStephen Holden DoaneStephen Holden Doane was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
, Company B, 1st Battalion, 25 March 1969, Hau Nghia Province (posthumous) - Staff Sergeant Marvin R. YoungMarvin R. YoungMarvin Rex Young was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
, Company C, 1st Battalion, 21 August 1968, near Ben Cui (posthumous)
1975 to present
After the Vietnam War the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry returned to Hawaii where it served with the 25th Infantry Division until the late 1980s when it spent a brief period with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea.In August 1995 the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment was re-assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington as part of the 1st Brigade "Lancers," 25th Infantry Division (Light). In 1996 the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry participated in the Advanced Warfighting Experiment, which culminated with a National Training Center rotation in March 1997. The battalion received the Army Superior Unit Award for its outstanding contribution to the Advanced Warfighting Experiment. For its participation in the Advanced Warfighting Experiment the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry was presented with the Army Superior Unit Award, 1996–1997.
The 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry was reactivated on 16 August 1995 and assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The 2nd Battalion served a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan from May 2004 to May 2005 as part of the 25th Division's Task Force Bronco. For its service in Afghanistan, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. As part of the modular conversion of the 25th Infantry Division, the 2nd Battalion was inactivated on 16 November 2005.
In early 2002 the 1st Brigade "Lancers" began its conversion from a light infantry brigade to a Stryker brigade. It began a one-year tour of duty in Iraq in October 2004. The brigade returned to Fort Lewis in September 2005. The 1st Brigade was temporarily inactive from June–October 2006.
The 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment is now part of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Arctic Wolves," 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Main Unit
- Constituted 12 April 1808 in the Regular Army as the 4th Infantry
- Organized May–June 1808 in New England
- Consolidated May–October 1815 with the 9th and 13th Infantry (both constituted 11 January 1812), the 21st Infantry (constituted 26 June 1812), the 40th Infantry (constituted 29 January 1813), and the 46th Infantry (constituted 30 March 1814) to form the 5th Infantry
- Consolidated in June 1869 with one half of the 37th Infantry (see ANNEX) and consolidated unit designated as the 5th Infantry
- Assigned 27 July 1918 to the 17th Division
- Relieved 10 February 1919 from assignment to the 17th Division
- Assigned 24 March 1923 to the 9th Division
- Relieved 15 August 1927 from assignment to the 9th Division and assigned to the 5th Division
- Relieved 1 October 1933 from assignment to the 5th Division and assigned to the 9th Division
- Relieved 15 July 1940 from assignment to the 9th Division
- Assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division (later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division)
- Relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division
- Inactivated 15 November 1946 in Austria
- Activated 1 January 1949 in Korea
- Assigned 10 October 1954 to the 71st Infantry Division
- Relieved 25 August 1956 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division
- Assigned 1 September 1956 to the 8th Infantry Division
- Relieved 1 August 1957 from assignment to the 8th Infantry Division and reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System
- Withdrawn 16 April 1987 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
- 1st Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment stationed Ft. Lewis Washington (Known between January 1999 and July 2005)
- 5th Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment "Golden Dragons" reflagged and activated as 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment "Bobcats" July 1995.
- Assigned Charlie Company, Heavy Weapons Platoon, 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment 5 July 1999.
- Reassigned Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment 19 July 1999.
- 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment "Bobcats", 2nd Battalion 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds", 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Regiment "Cacti" make up 3rd Brigade 25th Infantry Division (Light).
- HHC "Vipers", Alpha Company "Quickstrike", Bravo Company "Bushmasters", Charlie Company "Cobras".
- 613 Man Battalion as of 20 February 2003.
- Deployed to Afghanistan.
- Returns to Hawaii in 2004 after a year in Afghanistan.
- 27 July 2005 unit deactivated.
- July 27, 2005 1st Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment reassigned, stationed at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.
- 16 August 2009 2d Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment activated, stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas.
ANNEX
- Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as the 3d Battalion, 19th Infantry
- Organized May 1865 – September 1866 at Fort Wayne, Michigan; Newport Barracks, Kentucky; and Fort Columbus, New York
- Reorganized and redesignated 23 November 1866 as the 37th Infantry
- One half of the 37th Infantry consolidated in June 1869 with the 5th Infantry and consolidated unit designated as the 5th Infantry (remaining half of the 37th Infantry consolidated August–December 1869 with the 3d Infantry and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Infantry—hereafter separate lineage)
- The 1st Bn, 5th Infantry was active at Camp Hovey Korea as part of 2nd Bde 2nd Infantry Division from 1992 to 1996 at least, maybe well before and after
Mexican-American War
- Palo Alto
- Resaca de la Palma
- Monterey
- Churubusco
- Molino del Rey
- Chapultepec
- Vera Cruz 1847
Indian Wars
- Tippecanoe
- Seminoles
- Comanches
- Little Big Horn
- Nez Perces
- Bannocks
- New Mexico 1860
- Montana 1879
- Montana 1880
- Montana 1881
- Montana 1887
Korean War
- UN Defensive
- UN Offensive
- CCF Intervention
- First UN Counteroffensive
- CCF Spring Offensive
- UN Summer–Fall Offensive
- Second Korean Winter
- Korea, Summer–Fall 1952
- Third Korean Winter
- Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam
- Counteroffensive
- Counteroffensive, Phase II
- Counteroffensive, Phase III
- Tet Counteroffensive
- Counteroffensive, Phase IV
- Counteroffensive, Phase V
- Counteroffensive, Phase VI
- Tet 69/Counteroffensive
- Summer–Fall 1969
- Winter–Spring 1970
- Sanctuary Counteroffensive
- Counteroffensive, Phase VII
War on Terrorism
- Operation Iraqi Freedom (1st Battalion)
- Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan (1st and 2nd Battalions)
Decorations
U.S. Military Decorations- Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for CHINJU
- Presidential Unit Citation (army) for SONGNAE-DONG
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for BEN CUIBen CuiBen Cui is a rubber plantation that is part of the Michelin Rubber Plantation near Dau Tieng, Republic of Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, Ben Cui and other sections of the Michelin rubber plantation were the scene of intense fighting between United States forces and the North Vietnamese Army and...
1968 - Valorous Unit Award for CU CHI DISTRICT
- Valorous Unit Award for NINEVEH PROVINCE 2005
- Army Superior Unit Award for 1996–1997
- Meritorious Unit Citation (1st Battalion) Iraq OIF 3
- Meritorious Unit Citation (2nd Battalion) for Afghanistan
Foreign Decorations
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for KOREA 1950–1952
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for KOREA 1950–1953
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for KOREA 1952–1954
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1966–1968
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1968–1970
- Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1966–1970