Tag: 3rd US Infantry

Wikipedia says: The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is Noli Me Tangere (from Latin: – “Touch Me Not”). The regiment is a major unit of the Military District of Washington (MDW).

The regiment is the oldest currently-active regiment in the Regular Army, having been first organized as the First American Regiment in 1784. It has been the official ceremonial unit of the US Army since 1948.

…The 3rd Infantry saw extensive service during the American Civil War and was credited with 12 campaigns. Detachments from the regiment were serving at Fort Pickens in Florida and in Saluria on the Gulf Coast of Texas when the war began in April 1861. Three companies of the 3rd Infantry surrendered on 25 April. Five of the regiment’s 10 companies were engaged at the Battle of Bull Run on 20 July 1861.

The regiment spent most of the war assigned to the Army of the Potomac and served mostly in Virginia. From May 1862 to March 1864 it served with 1st Brigade, 2nd Division of the 5th Corps. In March 1864 it was reassigned to the 4th Brigade, 1st Division of the 5th Corps. It participated in the Siege of Yorktown (part of the Peninsular Campaign), the Battle of Cold Harbor, the Battle of Malvern Hill, the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Appomattox.