7th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 7th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. In its 200-year history it has participated in 12 wars, been awarded 78 campaign streamers, and 14 unit decorations. The regiment has served in more campaigns than any other infantry unit in the United States Army.

It is known as "The Cottonbalers" for its actions 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 cotton bales during the British attack. These actions and the lineage of other units that made up the 7th Infantry give the regiment campaign credit for the War of 1812.

Lineage The regiment's official lineage is as follows: Constituted 11 January 1812 in the Regular Army as the 8th Infantry Organized in 1812 in Tennessee, Georgia, and the adjacent territories Consolidated May–October 1815 with the 24th Infantry (constituted 26 June 1812) and the 39th Infantry (constituted 29 January 1813) to form the 7th Infantry Consolidated May–June 1869 with the 36th Infantry (see ANNEX) and consolidated unit designated as the 7th Infantry Assigned 21 November 1917 to the 3rd Division (later redesignated as the 3rd Infantry Division) Relieved 1 July 1957 from assignment to the 3rd Infantry Division and reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System Withdrawn 16 December 1987 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System

ANNEX Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as the 3d Battalion, 18th Infantry Organized 16 October 1861 at Camp Thomas, Ohio Reorganized and redesignated 26 December 1866 as the 36th Infantry Consolidated May–June 1869 with the 7th Infantry and consolidated unit designated as the 7th Infantry

Coat of arms Blazon: Shield: Per fess Argent and Azure, a fess embattled to chief Or masoned Sable between in chief a field gun Gules on a mount Vert and in base three bendlets sinister of the first. Crest: On a wreath of the colors (Argent and Azure), a cotton bale Argent banded Sable in front of the two bayonets in saltire Or. Motto: VOLENS ET POTENS (Willing and Able). Symbolism: Shield: The shield is white and blue, the old and present Infantry colors. The field gun is for the Battle of Cerro Gordo, where the 7th participated in the decisive attack by an assault on Telegraph Hill, a strongly fortified point. This portion of the shield is in Mexican colors—red, white and green. The wall is for the battle of Fredericksburg in which the regiment held for twelve hours a position only eighty yards in front of a stone wall protecting the enemy. The base alludes to the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 3d Division with which the 7th Infantry served during World War I. Crest: The cotton bale and bayonets in the crest are taken from the arms of the 7th Infantry adopted in 1912. Background: The coat of arms was originally approved on 5 July 1921. It was amended on 15 Oct 1923 to add a new crest.

Campaign credits

War of 1812 Canada; New Orleans; Florida 1814; Louisiana 1815 Mexican War Monterey; Vera Cruz; Cerro Gordo; Contreras; Churubusco; Molino del Rey; Chapultepec; Texas 1846 Civil War Fredericksburg; Murfreesboro; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg; Chickamauga; Chattanooga; Atlanta; New Mexico 1861; New Mexico 1862; Kentucky 1862; Mississippi 1862; Tennessee 1862; Tennessee 1863; Georgia 1864 Indian Wars Creeks; Seminoles; New Mexico 1860; Wyoming 1866; Montana 1872; Little Big Horn; Nez Perces; Utes; Pine Ridge War with Spain Santiago Philippine–American War Samar 1901; Samar 1902 World War I Aisne; Champagne-Marne; Aisne-Marne; Saint-Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Champagne 1918; Ile de France 1918 World War II Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead); Tunisia; Sicily (with arrowhead); Naples-Foggia; Anzio (with arrowhead); Rome-Arno; Southern France (with arrowhead); Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe Korean War First Phase Offensive; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953 Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase II; Counteroffensive, Phase III; Tet Offensive; Counteroffensive, Phase IV; Counteroffensive, Phase V; Counteroffensive, Phase VI; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase VII Southwest Asia Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait; Cease-Fire Iraq campaign Afghanistan campaign

History

Origins; War of 1812 The 7th Infantry Regiment, was originally constituted on 11 January 1812 in the Regular Army as a company of the 8th Infantry. was reorganized in preparation for the conflict with Great Britain which came to be known as the War of 1812. Since that time it has remained on duty in one form or another, making it one of the five oldest continuously-serving regiments in the United States Army. In 1815, the regiment was headquartered at Fort Montgomery in the Mississippi Territory. After the Creek War, the regiment helped build and was stationed at Fort Crawford in the newly-formed Alabama Territory.

Mexican–American War

The regiment was active in the American invasion of the Mexican heartland and the capture of Mexico City. Streamers awarded are: Texas 1846 Monterey, Vera Cruz (sic), Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec, and Texas 1846

American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the 7th Infantry Regiment played a significant role in several key campaigns. In December 1862, they distinguished themselves during the Battle of Fredericksburg, holding an advanced position on the southern side of the city. Despite facing intense enemy fire, they maintained their ground until ordered to withdraw, suffering the heaviest losses within their brigade.

In May 1863, at the Battle of Chancellorsville, the 7th Infantry Regiment was positioned on the north side of the Orange Turnpike. They captured a strategic hillcrest and held it against substantial resistance for over an hour before receiving orders to retreat.

During the Gettysburg campaign in July 1863, the regiment arrived on the battlefield on July 2 and initially took position on the north slope of Little Round Top. They advanced across Plum Run toward the Wheatfield, where they faced heavy fire from multiple directions. Despite suffering over 50% casualties, the "Cottonbalers" managed to withdraw to safety on Little Round Top. Following Gettysburg, the regiment was deployed to New York City to address the draft riots and remained on garrison duty there until the war's conclusion. The regiment would receive 14 campaign streamers for actions during the Civil War.

Spanish–American War

The Seventh Infantry regiment fought at El Caney and San Juan Hill.

World War I

The regiment has been associated with the Third Infantry Division since that unit was established in World War I.

The unit is credited with participation in the Aisne Defensive, the battle of Château-Thierry, the defense of the Champagne-Marne region and the attacks at Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, and Saint-Mihiel.

Interwar period

The 7th Infantry arrived at the port of New York on 22 August 1919 on the USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria and was transferred 27 August 1919 to Camp Pike, Arkansas. The regiment was again transferred on 20 September 1921 to Camp (later Fort) Lewis, Washington, and on 27 September 1922 to Vancouver Barracks, Washington. Concurrently, the 2nd Battalion was transferred to Chilkoot Barracks, Territory of Alaska, where it absorbed the personnel and equipment of the inactivated 2nd Battalion, 59th Infantry Regiment. The initial wartime mission of the 7th Infantry in accordance with established war plans was to conduct a mobile defense of possible amphibious landing areas in support of the Harbor Defenses of the Columbia River. The regiment participated in the making of the First National Pictures movie “The Patent Leather Kid” during March–April 1927. In April 1933, the regiment assumed command and control of the Vancouver Barracks Civilian Conservation Corps District. Company D was awarded the Edwin Howard Clark trophy for machine gun marksmanship for 1935. The 2nd Battalion was transferred on 18 October 1939 to Camp Bonneville, Washington, and to Vancouver Barracks on 7 May 1940, while the entire regiment was transferred 7 February 1941 to Fort Lewis.

World War II

During World War II, the regiment fought German forces on three fronts, North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. It conducted four amphibious landings against beach defenses earning a spearhead device on the streamers awarded for these battles.

In 1942, the regiment conducted an amphibious landing in Morocco. On 10 July 1943, the regiment made an amphibious assault at Licata, Operation Husky Mollarella, Poliscia, Torre di Gaffe e Rocca San Nicola beaches starting the Allied invasion of Sicily. In 1944, it landed at Anzio, conducted a breakout and drove towards Rome. In August 1944, the regiment landed again, this time in Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon, advancing up the Rhone River to the German frontier.

After fighting in the Vosges and in the Alsace at the Colmar Pocket the 7th crossed the Rhine into Germany. Taking part in the seizure of Munich it headed for Austria, reaching the Salzburg area in the waning days of the war. After the 3rd Division is able to capture the key bridges over the Saalach River, the regiment commanded by Colonel John A. Heintges upon direct orders from division commander General John O'Daniel entered Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden on 4 May 1945.World War II: Race to Seize Berchtesgaden HistoryNet 12 June 2006 See also American Courage, American Carnage Video Transcript Presentation by John C. McManus.

Korean War

After World War II the 7th Infantry Regiment remained a part of the 3rd Infantry Division. This would be the last war that the Cottonbalers would fight as a Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

When the Korean War began in June 1950, the Seventh (7th) Infantry Regiment was located at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Already at reduced strength, the regiment was further decimated when a battalion from Fort Devens was redesignated as the Third Battalion, Eighth Cavalry Regiment, and sent to Korea to join the First Cavalry Division.

The 7th Regiment sailed from San Francisco, California, on 20 August 1950,Cowart, Glenn C. (1992). Miracle in Korea: The Evacuation of X Corps from the Hungnam Beachhead. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. and landed in Japan on 16 September 1950. There its strength was augmented by hundreds of KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army—Korean conscripts detailed to serve with U.S. units). Two months later, the regiment embarked again and landed at Wonsan on Korea's eastern coast on 21 November 1950. It joined with the 15th and 65th Infantry Regiments and moved to the northwest of the Hungnam area where it covered vis-à-vis Task Force DogTaylor, George O. JR. "The Forgotten War's Forgotten Task Force" . Army Magazine, Association of the United States Army (July 2002) from Chinhung-ni, the Army's X Corps forward elements (1st Marine Division and 7th Infantry Division Regimental Combat Team RCT 31 (AKA Task Force Faith)) withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir and, joining the perimeter defense for the Hungnam Evacuation during the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) Second Phase Campaign.