The 258th Field Artillery Regiment or "Washington Greys" is a field artillery unit of the New York Army National Guard that traces its lineage from 1789 to present. Circa 1957–1966 it consisted of four battalions.
History Predecessors of the 258th Field Artillery Regiment fought in the War of 1812, the Spanish–American War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the global war on terrorism. The 258th Field Artillery is one of only nineteen Army National Guard units with campaign credit for the War of 1812.
Early history
The 258th Field Artillery Regiment can trace its origins to the formation of an artillery battery in 1784 under the command of Capt. Jacob Sebring. On April 30, 1789, Capt. Sebring's battery formed part of the escort for General George Washington's inauguration in New York City. Since that time the battery and its descendants have proudly claimed the title "Washington Grays" due to the gray coats of their uniform during that time.
The regiment was formed on October 9, 1809, as the 4th Regiment, New York State Artillery, organized from existing batteries. It was redesignated on June 13, 1812, as the 3rd Regiment, New York State Artillery. The unit was brought into federal service for the War of 1812 in 1812, and again in 1814.
The regiment served with distinction during the War of 1812 at Fort Gansevoort and Fort Green defending the harbor of New York. In 1847, it was redesignated as the 8th New York Regiment, New York State Militia (NYSM). and throughout the first half of the 19th century was called for service in many civil disturbances including the Flour Riot, Abolition Riot, Stone Cutter's Riot (1835), Stevedore Riot (1836), Croton Water Riot, Great Fire (1845), Astor Place Riot (1849), Police Riot (1857), Dead Rabbit Riot (1857), Sepoy Riot 1858), and Quarantine Riot (1858).
American Civil War
The unit served three periods of federal service in the American Civil War. As the 8th NYSM, the unit was organized in April, 1861 for 90 days' service, leaving New York state for Washington, D.C., on the 20th and mustering in to federal service on the 26th. It served in the defenses of Washington, DC until July. The unit was part of Porter's 1st Brigade, Hunter's 2nd Division, McDowell's Army of Northeast Virginia at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861.The Manassas Campaign, Virginia, July 21, 1861 - Union order of battle; Manassas National Battlefield Park - The Battle of First Manassas, Union order of battle; Official Records, Series I, Volume II, pages, 314-315. The 8th returned to New York City, mustering out there on August 2, 1861. Following redesignation as the 8th Regiment, New York National Guard, the unit was mustered in again on May 29, 1862, for 90 days' service. It served in the defenses of Washington, D.C., as part of the garrison of that city, and was mustered out of service on September 9, 1862. It was called up for a third time in June, 1863, for 30 days' service in response to Robert E. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania in June of that year. It served in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the garrison of that city and 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Dept. of the Susquehanna, and was mustered out of service on July 23, 1863.
The 8th also had an artillery battery known as "Varian's 1st Troop Washington Grays". This battery mustered into federal service on April 19, 1861, and left New York for Annapolis, Maryland. On May 18 moved near a lighthouse at Smith's Point on Chesapeake Bay. Outpost duty in Northern Virginia through June 17. Attached to Keyes' Brigade, Tyler's Division, McDowell's Army of Northeast Virginia, to July. Mustered out July 20, 1861, the day before the First Battle of Bull Run. The unit's guns served in the battle with Blenkers' Brigade, Miles' Division as "Brookwood's New York Battery" under Captain Charles Brookwood, manned by detachments from the 8th Militia and 29th New York Volunteer Infantry. The battery was federalized again with the remainder of the regiment in June–July, 1863 as above.
The 4th Independent Battery Light Artillery was recruited and organized in New York City as Company L, Artillery Company, Serrell's Engineers, and part of the 1st Troop, Washington Greys. It was mustered in the United States service for three years at Staten Island on October 24, 1861, and left the State the next day commanded by. Capt. James E. Smith. Later in October it received its arms, Parrott guns, and was designated Battery C, and a few weeks later, Battery D, N. Y. Light Artillery. December 7, 1861, it received its numerical designation from the State. It took part in the following engagements: Siege of Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Seven Days, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Auburn, Bristoe Station and the Mine Run campaign. It was discontinued on Dec. 4, 1863, commanded by 1st Lieut. William T. McLean and its members were transferred to the 1st N. Y. engineers, the 5th and 15th N. Y. batteries, and Battery B, ist N. Y. artillery. The 4th lost during service 5 men killed and mortally wounded, and 1 officer and 11 men died of disease and other causes. The Battery distinguished itself at Battle of Gettysburg, where it materially aided in seizing and retaining Little Round Top from John Bell Hood Division. At the time of the assault by Hood’s Division of the Confederate Army, this battery, supported by the 4th Maine Infantry Regiment, formed the extreme left of the Third Corps line. Three guns of the two sections in action on this crest were captured by the Confederates. The third section was in position to the right and continued the action until nearly 6 p.m., its loss during this battle being 2 killed, 10 wounded, and 1 missing.
In August 1861, the detachments of the 8th NYSM and 29th NY Vols. that had served the 1st Troop's guns were reorganized as the 2nd New York Independent Battery, Light Artillery (Blenker's Battery). The unit served in Washington, D.C., until April 1862, operating in the Shenandoah Valley to August 1862, fighting in the Battle of Cross Keys and Second Battle of Bull Run. In early May 1863, the unit was in the Battle of Chancellorsville. After transferring three-year men to Battery I, 1st New York Light Artillery, the unit mustered out on June 13, 1863.
On May 13, 1847, a detachment was constituted in the New York State Militia as the 14th Regiment. It was Mustered into Federal service May 23, 1861 in Washington, D.C. and Redesignated 7 December 1861 as the 84th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 5 officers, 83 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 3 officers, 61 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 74 enlisted men; total, 8 officers, 218 enlisted men; aggregate, 226; of whom 17 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy. It was Mustered out of Federal service June 6, 1864 in New York City. It was Reorganized in the New York National Guard as the 14th Infantry Regiment. Mustered into Federal service 13–16 May 1898 at Hempstead as the 14th New York Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of Federal service 27 October 1898 in Brooklyn, NY.
In the second half of the 19th century, the 8th Regiment was called out for several strikes and riots such as the Orange Riot (1871), the Great Railroad Strike (1877), the Brooklyn Trolley Strike (1895) and New York City Draft Riots (1863).
Spanish–American War through 1913 The 8th briefly returned to federal service in 1898 during the Spanish–American War as the 8th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, mustering in by May 19 and mustering out on November 3. It did not deploy outside the United States. In 1906 the 8th Infantry Regiment was reorganized and redesignated as the 8th Infantry Battalion. It was reorganized and redesignated 21 January 1908 as the 8th Infantry Regiment. It was then converted and redesignated 23 January 1908 as the 8th Artillery District, Coast Artillery Corps.
World War I The 8th Artillery District was reorganized and redesignated 10 August 1914 as the 8th Coast Defense Command, Coast Artillery Corps, New York National Guard. In 1917 the unit relocated from Manhattan to the new Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx. Mustered into Federal service 22 July 1917 at New York; drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917. Companies of the 8th Coast Defense Command were reorganized and redesignated 22 January–1 February 1918 as elements of the 58th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps), the Coast Defenses of Southern New York, and the Coast Defenses of Eastern New York. Men were drawn from the Headquarters and Supply Companies of the 58th Artillery's Coast Defenses of Eastern New York and the Third Battalion of the Coast Defenses of Baltimore. On April 6, 1918, Battery F formed the guard of honor for President Wilson in Baltimore, and he commended it for its performance.
The regiment trained for war in Fort Totten and Fort Schuyler, New York. Throughout May its battalions departed from Hoboke for France. Its total number assembled in Brest reached 66 officers and 1,811 men by May 31. They then departed for training alongside the French army at Ambazac. On June 2, the 58th Artillery was assigned to the 32nd Artillery Brigade, and equipped with breech-loaded Vickers Mk 6. 8-inch howitzers. They were mounted on two types of “caterpillars,” engines of agricultural origin that generated up to 75 or 120 horsepower.
On October 20, the regiment departed for the front and its three battalions were divided. The First and Second Battalions established camp at Montjoie near Manonville during the St. Mihiel Offensive. Meanwhile, the Third Battalion moved to the Adrian barracks near Jezainville.
After establishing camps, the battalions began scouting ideal locations to set up their batteries, and then the work of camouflaging, setting up telephone wires, and digging in. The First Battalion set up its guns in the valley of Foret des Vencheres, firing its first shot on October 31, and its last of the war only four minutes before the signing of the armistice on November 11. On the night of November 8, the battalion’s batteries were scouted and strafed by German airplanes. The sortee was followed by severe and accurate shelling with explosives and gas. One shell scored a direct hit on Battery A’s powder dump. The shelling killed one man, the regiment’s only man to die in action during the war. The Second Battalion was also assigned to Foret des Vencheres. Its targets on the German side of no-man’s-land were Onville, Waville, Vandelainville, and Pagny-sur-Moselle. A few days prior to the armistice, the Second Battalion advanced to Sainte Marie Farm just northeast of Vilcey. For the caliber of the unit’s guns, the position was very close to the German lines and the troops who set up the position suffered twenty casualties, wounded, from shelling and gas. The battalion was intended to assist an advance on the Metz front that never took place because the armistice was signed on November 11.
The Third Battalion was assigned to positions at Meurthe-et-Moselle and directed its fire on German positions near Vittonville. New York elements of the 58th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps) demobilized 7 May 1919 at Camp Upton, New York; elements of the Coast Defenses of Southern New York in December 1918 at Fort Wadsworth, New York; and elements of the Coast Defenses of Eastern New York in December 1918 at Fort Totten, New York.
Interwar period The former 8th Coast Defense Command was consolidated with the 8th Coast Defense Command, New York Guard, and reorganized in the New York National Guard as the 193rd Field Artillery with headquarters federally recognized 11 May 1921 at Bronx. It was redesignated as the 258th Field Artillery (155 mm gun) on 28 November 1921 and assigned to II Corps.
World War II