The 169th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army and Connecticut National Guard. The regiment may be traced to English train bands that formed in settlements of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield as these settlements consolidated from 1633 to 1636 and deployed during the Pequot War from 1636 to 1638. As the settlements in what would become Hartford County grew, the militia was reorganized for drill in 1672 essentially into a county regiment. The U.S. Army recognizes the regiment from its reorganization by an act of the Connecticut Assembly on 11 October 1739 as the 1st Connecticut Regiment. It is Connecticut's oldest regiment when considered from its formation of train bands in 1633 to 1636 in Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield.
With its deployment in the Pequot War the regiment continued its deployments in every war of the colonial period to include King Philip's War in the 1670s, the French and Indian or Seven Years War, and in U.S. service from the American Revolution in every war except Vietnam until its last combat battalion was inactivated. The regiment's last combat infantry battalion, a battalion of the 43rd Infantry Brigade, 26th Infantry Division was inactivated in 1992.
The regiment continues its service in the Connecticut Army National Guard as the 169th Regiment (Regional Training Institute). The regiment is a distinguished formation authorized to fly 39 U.S. campaign streamers from its colors.
History
Early history The 169th Infantry Regiment traces its heritage back to the English train bands organized in the settlements of Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield from 1633 to 1636. These militia units mobilized and deployed during the Pequot War of 1636 to 1638. It also operated against the Dutch in the Hartford Area. The Hartford County, Connecticut, train bands were later organized into the Regiment of Hartford County in 1672 and would deploy during King Philip's War in 1675 to 1676. The regiment was the security bulwark of the Connecticut colony in North Central Connecticut with further deployments throughout the colonial period such as the deployment north to Deerfield in Massachusetts in 1704. On 11 October 1739 by an act of the Connecticut Assembly the regiment was organized into the First Connecticut Regiment. This is the date the U.S. Army recognizes as the organization date of the 169th Infantry. During the French and Indian War, the 1st Connecticut was called up on 7–8 August 1757 for a period of two weeks to man fortifications. Volunteers from Hartford, Simsbury, and Windsor were enlisted, and it is unknown whether these militiamen saw action in combat. However, Connecticut field regiments raised in several wars during this period to include the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) drew many of their soldiers from the militia regiments and some of the operations participated in by these soldiers were significant such as the siege of Quebec in two different wars and operations around Louisbourg in the Seven Years War.
American Revolutionary War In the summer of 1776, General George Washington called upon the state militias to meet the British Empire's suspected attack on New York. The 1st Regiment of the Connecticut militia responded, and they reported for duty on 11 August 1776. The militia troops were hastily assembled, poorly armed, meagerly paid, thus discipline and morale was low. On 15 September 1776, they were attacked by the British Army and retreated in the face of superior firepower. The 1st Connecticut militia was ordered to reinforce General Horatio Gates at Saratoga in the fall of 1777 and served under the command of General Enoch Poor. The Connecticuters fought heavily at the Battle of Freeman's Farm on 19 September 1777, and at the Battle of Bemis Heights on 7 October. At Bemis Heights, they lost more men than any other regiment engaged, and General Gates referred to them as the "excellent militia regiment from Connecticut".
War of 1812 On 28 April 1812, Governor Roger Griswold ordered the mobilization of 3,000 militiamen to repel any British invasion during the War of 1812. The 1st Regiment consisted of 121 officers and men and began their service on 7 June 1813 when they marched to New London. On 28 July 1814, the Connecticut militia deployed along the coast from Stonington to Greenwich to deter an enemy invasion. The 1st contributed 522 officers and men for the task, and were relieved on 27 October 1814.
American Civil War and Spanish–American War On 15 April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for volunteers after the fall of Fort Sumter, and the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in on 22–23 April. A Company was designated as a "Rifle Company," and B and C Companies were designated as "Infantry Companies". The regiment arrived at Washington, D.C., on 13 May, and camped at Glenwood, 2 miles to the north of the capitol. On 1 June, the 1st Connecticut relieved the 12th New York Volunteer Infantry and engaged in their first engagement of the Civil War at Vienna, Virginia, where they were ambushed by Confederate troops, and PVT George H. Bugbee of A Company was wounded; the regiment's first casualty of the war. The regiment fought in the First Battle of Bull Run on 21 July, where they engaged in constant activity against the enemy, and repelled infantry and cavalry attacks from 1,000 to 1,600. The 1st Connecticut remained in Washington until 27 July, and were mustered out in New Haven, Connecticut, on 31 July 1861 when their period of enlistment expired. Parts of the regiment remained in service with the 4th Connecticut Infantry Regiment and the 7th Connecticut Infantry Regiment.
The 1st Connecticut Infantry was recalled to federal service on 26 April 1898 for duty in the Spanish–American War. They were destined to invade the island of Puerto Rico, but they never saw active service and were mustered out on 31 October 1898.
Mexican Border The 1st Connecticut was called up on 18 June 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, and the 1,100 officers and men of the regiment assembled at Camp Holcomb in Niantic and departed for the Mexico–United States border, arriving in El Paso, Texas, on 2 July. On 7 July, the Connecticuters began patrolling near Nogales, Arizona. For 13 weeks, the regiment patrolled the border and encountered slight enemy resistance during their time there but suffered no casualties. They continued their training at Fort Huachuca on 24 August before returning to Nogales in September and continuing patrols in conjunction with the 2nd Connecticut, soon to be the 102nd Infantry Regiment.Historical and Pictorial Review 43rd Infantry Division Camp Shelby, Mississippi 1942, History of the 169th Infantry, pages 43-45 & Infantry Regiments of the U. S. Army by James A. Sawicki, pages 336-337, Wyvern Publications 1981
World War I
When the United States began its involvement in the First World War, the 1st Connecticut mustered into Federal Service 25-31 March 1917 (per General Orders No. 61, Adjutant General's Office, Connecticut) at home stations: drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917 (35 officers and 1,582 enlisted men transferred with soldiers of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment to the 102nd Infantry 24 August 1917). Both regiments would share the operational history of the 102nd Infantry with the 26th Division. Extensive combat would be experienced in France, the regiment's soldiers participating in the following campaigns; Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihael, Meuse-Argonne, Ile de France 1918, Lorraine 1918.
"On 25 March 1917, per Special Order Number 61, The Adjutant General, State of Connecticut, upon the call of the President for troops of the National Guard, the First Regiment Connecticut Infantry was ordered to mobilize for Federal service at 0700 hours 26 March 1917. The Regiment remained at its home station (Hartford) performing guard duty and recruiting to war strength. On 23 July 1917 it went into camp at Pratt Field, New Haven, adjacent to Yale Field, where the 2[n]d Infantry was encamped. On 5 August 1917 it was drafted into Federal service. The formation of the 102nd Infantry Regiment was accomplished on 25 August 1917, in accordance with instructions issued from Boston through a consolidation of the old First and Second Regiments. To this new regiment the old First contributed 35 officers and 1,582 enlisted men. The war-time history of the 102nd Infantry thereby becomes the heritage of both these old historic regiments."
Between 7 and 25 September 1917, all units of the 102nd sailed for Liverpool, England, en route for Le Havre, France, where they arrived on various dates from 24 September to 12 November. A detachment from the Medical Detachment and one from the Supply Company sailed direct to France, arriving at St. Nazaire on 5 October and 7 December respectively.
The assembled regiment went into training near the town of Neufchateau, in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, where it trained with the 167th Regiment (French).
The regiment saw its first front-line service on the Chemin des Dames beginning 8 February 1918, when the Second Battalion was brigaded with the 137th Regiment (French): continuing through 7 March, when it began to operate a sector independently, and being terminated on 20 March, when it was relieved in all positions by the French. Even in this so-called "quiet" area it suffered 494 casualties, as its first front-line experience of the war.
On 29 March, orders were received to relieve the First Division in the Toul Sector: on the 3lst the First Battalion relieved a battalion of the 26th Infantry; and during the next night the Second Battalion similarly relieved a battalion of the 28th, while the Third Battalion went into reserve at Mandres and Ansauville. The outstanding event of this tour of duty was the fight at Seicheprey on 20 April. By 1:30 a.m. on that date the relief of M Company by D and I Company by C had been completed. At 3 a.m. the enemy put down a heavy barrage on our positions; at 5 a.m. he attacked with from 1,200 to 1,500 "Sturmtruppen," preceding the 259 Regiment German) and two or three companies of territorials (elsewhere given as two infantry battalions) with machine guns, sappers and pioneers. After a determined resistance our troops were overpowered, except in Seicheprey itself. During the night of the 20th-21st, the enemy withdrew. The German casualties were heavy, variously given at from 600 to 1,800 while ours for the entire month of April amounted to 71 killed, 134 wounded and 12 gassed, or a total of 327 exclusive of a considerable number of prisoners captured by the Germans. Except for a short period (2 May – 13 May) the regiment continued in this sector until finally relieved by the 154th Division (French) and the 82nd Division (American) between 24 and 28 June.