The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1812, although regimental units trace their lineages as far back as 1794. Based on the service of these antecedents, the regiment claims battle honors for the War of 1812, the Seminole campaign, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish–American War, and the Philippine Insurrection. The regiment served with the 6th Division during World War I, with the 5th Division, 6th Division and 2d Cavalry Division between the world wars, and with the 9th Armored Division during and after World War II. Since 1961, the regiment has been a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System and the U.S. Army Regimental System, with regimental elements serving with the 1st, 6th, and 8th Infantry Divisions; 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions; 1st Cavalry Division; 194th Armored Brigade; and various field artillery brigades and groups. Three regimental battalions are currently active: the 2nd Battalion in the 1st Armored Division and the 1st Battalion and 5th Battalion, both a part of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade.

History Although the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was only constituted in 1907, its constituent elements trace their history to various numbered companies of artillery dating back to 1794. 1st Battalion was organized on 30 June 1794 at Governor’s Island, New York, under the command of Captain Alexander Thompson. Under a myriad of designations, these separate batteries fought in Canada during the War of 1812, against the Seminoles during the Indian Wars, in numerous campaigns during the Mexican War and Civil War, and in both Cuba and Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War.

The regiment's antecedents fought in the War of 1812 at the Battle of Point Iroquois, in the American Civil War at the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Cold Harbor, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Siege of Petersburg.

During the Philippine–American War, the regiment was sent to the Philippines. In 1899, General Loyd Wheaton, with a force under his command which included elements of the regiment, perpetrated a massacre of Filipino civilians in the town of Titatia. A. A. Barnes, a soldier in the G Battery of the regiment, wrote a letter to his brother describing the massacre:

The town of Titatia was surrendered to us a few days ago, and two companies occupy the same. Last night one of our boys was found shot and his stomach cut open. Immediately orders were received from General Wheaton to burn the town and kill every native in sight; which was done to a finish. About 1,000 men, women and children were reported killed. I am probably growing hard-hearted, for I am in my glory when I can sight my gun on some dark skin and pull the trigger.

The 3rd Field Artillery was assigned 17 November 1917 to the 6th Division, and fought in World War I. It was relieved 24 March 1923 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 5th Division; relieved 1 January 1930 from assignment to the 5th Division and assigned to the 6th Division.

The 3rd Field Artillery was relieved 25 September 1939 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 2d Cavalry Division. The personnel of the 3rd Field Artillery would serve in an armored field artillery battalion as part of the 9th Armored Division.

The 9th Armored Division landed in Normandy late in September 1944, and first went into the line, 23 October 1944, on patrol duty in a quiet sector along the Luxembourg-German frontier. When the Germans launched their winter offensive on 16 December 1944, the 9th, with no real combat experience, suddenly found itself engaged in heavy fighting. The division saw its severest action at St. Vith, Echternach, and Bastogne, its units fighting in widely separated areas. Its stand at Bastogne held off the Germans long enough to enable the 101st Airborne Division to dig in for a defense of the city. After a rest period in January 1945, the division prepared to drive across the Roer River. The offensive was launched on 28 February 1945 and the 9th crossed the Roer to Rheinbach, sending patrols into Remagen. On 7 March 1945, elements of the 9th Armored found that the Ludendorff Bridge was still standing. When German demolition charges failed to bring the bridge down, they crossed it, disarming and removing the remaining charges, which could have exploded at any time. The division exploited the bridgehead, moving south and east across the Lahn River toward Limburg, where thousands of Allied prisoners were liberated from Stalag XIIA. The division drove on to Frankfurt and then turned to assist in the closing of the Ruhr Pocket. In April it continued east, encircling Leipzig and securing a line along the Mulde River. The division was shifting south to Czechoslovakia when the war in Europe ended on 9 May 1945. All units of CCB/9 AIB of the 9th Armored Division were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions in taking and defending the Ludendorff Bridge during the Battle of Remagen in World War II. The regiment then fought in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Inherent Resolve.

In February 2023, the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (5-3 LRFB) — 1st MDTF's long-range fires battalion— deployed the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), a medium-range surface-to-surface hypersonic missile, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington to Cape Canaveral, Florida, a distance of 3,100 miles.1st Lt. Richard Parlato (30 March 2023) 1st Multi-Domain Task Force Deploys the Army’s First Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon System

Further service by regimental elements The 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served with the 2nd Armored Division in Germany and at Fort Hood, Texas, from 1957 - 1991, including service in Operations Desert Shield and Storm. After a brief assignment (1991-1992) to the 1st Cavalry Division, the battalion returned to the 2nd Armored Division until inactivated in 1996. 1st Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was part of the 2nd Armored Division 1st Tiger Brigade from Ft. Hood Texas. 1-3 FA Battalion deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Prior to the commencement of the main ground offensive, Bravo Battery provided fire support in the form of Artillery Raids to the 2nd Marine Light Armored Infantry whose mission was to scout out possible alternate breach points, identify and locate Iraqi Artillery for counter battery attack, and to draw attention away from the main forces approach points. 144 Marines along with 2 155mm SP howitzer guns from Bravo 1-3 held off increasingly mounting Iraqi forces from 10:15 am on 21 Feb through 4:00am 24 Feb, using LAV-25's, LAV-TOW's and on call Artillery support. From 29 January to 1 February the battalion would participate in the Battle of Khafji. Bravo Battery along with A Battery and C Battery 1-3 FA also participated and engaged Iraqi forces leading to the end of hostilities. The 1-3 FA Battalion had a hand in destroying or capturing 181 enemy tanks, 148 APCs, 40 artillery pieces, 27 AA emplacements, and 263 Iraqi soldiers dead with an additional 4,051 captured."Hell on Wheels" by Steven Smith The battalion earned The Naval Unit Commendation for Valor for its outstanding performance in combat against the Iraqi army. Upon return to Ft Hood the battalion was inactivated. 1-3 FA Battalion was reactivated in 2022 as a HIMARS battalion under the 17th Field Artillery Brigade and is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served with the 3rd Armored Division from 1957 to 1991, including service in Operations Desert Shield and Storm. In 1991, the battalion was then reassigned briefly to the 8th Infantry Division and then to the 1st Armored Division in 1992. The battalion served in Bosnia as part of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in 1996. The battalion served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2005 and 2006–7, before briefly inactivating and being reassigned from the 1st Armored Division to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division and moving to Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2008. At Fort Bliss, the battalion converted from self-propelled to towed howitzers when the 1st BCT was reorganized from an Armored BCT to a Stryker BCT. Since reorganization, the battalion has deployed to Afghanistan to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom.McKenney, Janice E. (2010). "2d Battalion, 3d Field Artillery". Field Artillery Part 1. (CMH Pub 60-11-1(Part 1)). Army Lineage Series. United States Army Center of Military History: Washington. 281. Web. Accessed 19 October 2015 <http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf >."History of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment "Gunners"." n.d. Web. Accessed 12 December 2017.<https://www.bliss.army.mil/1BCT1ARM/2-3.html >."2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment "Gunners"." n.d. Web. Accessed 12 December 2017. <https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/2-3fa.htm >.

The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served at Fort Knox, Kentucky from 1958 to 1971, with the 194th Armored Brigade from 1968 to 1971, and again from 1975 to 1983. It was then assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood until inactivated in 1990.McKenney, Janice E. (2010). "3d Battalion, 3d Field Artillery". Field Artillery Part 1. (CMH Pub 60-11-1(Part 1)). Army Lineage Series. United States Army Center of Military History: Washington. 283. Web. Accessed 19 October 2015 <http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf >.

After a brief period in 1960 as a separate missile battalion, the 4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 1st Armored Division from 1962 to 1971. Reactivated in 1983 and assigned to the 2nd Armored Division in support of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division (Forward), the battalion deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Storm before inactivating in 1992.McKenney, Janice E. (2010). "1st Battalion, 3d Field Artillery". Field Artillery Part 1. (CMH Pub 60-11-1(Part 1)). Army Lineage Series. United States Army Center of Military History: Washington. 285. Web. Accessed 19 October 2015 <http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf >. 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was part of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward), stationed in Garlstedt, Germany.

During the 1st Gulf War 4-3 FA Battalion was chosen to be the main fire support element of Task Force 1-41 Infantry. It was equipped with M-109A2 self-propelled howitzers. 4-3 FA and the rest of the 2nd Armored Division(Forward) were attached to the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during the war.Dinackus P.4–10

On 15 February 1991 4-3 FA Battalion fired on a trailer and a few trucks in the Iraqi sector that was observing American forces.The Road to Safwan: The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War by Bourque P.96