116th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 116th infantry Regiment is an Infantry regiment in the Virginia Army National Guard.

Lineage
Organized 3 November 1741 in the Virginia Militia as the Augusta County Regiment with headquarters at Beverley's Mill Place (later named Staunton). Elements of the Augusta County Regiment called into active service at various times during the French and Indian War and Dunmore's War and provided the following elements of the Virginia provincial forces: Augusta County Regiment expanded 31 December 1792 to form the 32d and 93d Regiments Elements of the 32d and 93d Regiments mustered into federal service at various times during the War of 1812 Elements of the 32d and 160th Regiments mustered into federal service 6 January 1847 at Richmond as the Light Infantry Company, 1st Regiment, Virginia Volunteers (also known as the Augusta Volunteers); mustered out of federal service 27 July 1848 at Fort Monroe, Virginia consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as the 116th Infantry and assigned to the 29th Infantry Division (United States)
 * Captain Andrew Lewis' Company, Virginia Regiment (organized 18 March 1754)
 * Captains William Preston's, David Lewis', and John Smith's Companies of Rangers (organized 11–25 August 1755)
 * Augusta County Regiment or its elements called into active service at various times during the Revolutionary War and provided the following elements of the Continental Army:
 * Captain William Fontaines's Company, 2nd Virginia Regiment (organized 21 October 1775)
 * Captain John Hayse's Company, 9th Virginia Regiment (organized 16 March 1776)
 * Captain David Stephenson's Company, 8th Virginia Regiment
 * Captains David Laird's and John Syme's Companies, 10th Virginia Regiment (organized 3 December 1776)
 * 32d and 93d Regiments expanded about 1839 to form the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments
 * Augusta County volunteer infantry companies of the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments reorganized and redesignated 13 April 1861 as the 5th Regiment, Virginia Volunteers; mustered into Confederate service 1 July 1861 as the 5th Virginia Infantry, an element of the 1st Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah (later designated as the Stonewall Brigade) (organized 1 June - 15 July 1861 to consist of the 2d, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33rd Virginia Infantry (organized from volunteer companies in the Shenandoah Valley))
 * Remainder of the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments, Virginia Militia, mustered into Confederate service 1 May 1862 as the 52nd Virginia Infantry.
 * Stonewall Brigade and the 52nd Virginia Infantry surrendered 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House with the Army of Northern Virginia
 * Former elements of the Stonewall Brigade and the 52nd Virginia Infantry reorganized 1871-1881 in the Virginia Volunteers as separate infantry companies in the Shenandoah Valley
 * Reorganized 2 May 1881 as the 2d Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Staunton (Location of Headquarters changed 22 April 1886 to Harrisonburg)
 * Regiment disbanded 2 April 1887 and its elements reorganized as separate infantry companies
 * Reorganized 20 April 1889 in the Virginia Volunteers as the 2d Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Winchester (Location of Headquarters changed 15 June 1893 to Woodstock)
 * Consolidated with elements of the 1st Regiment of Infantry (organized in 1851) and mustered into federal service 10–21 May 1898 as the 2d Virginia Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of federal service 13–20 December 1898 at home stations
 * Disbanded 29 April 1899
 * Elements of the former 2d Regiment of Infantry reorganized 1899-1902 in the Virginia Volunteers as separate infantry companies in western Virginia
 * Consolidated 19 May 1905 with elements of the former 3d Regiment of Infantry (see ANNEX); consolidated unit reorganized as the 72d Infantry with Headquarters at Luray
 * Redesignated 1 September 1908 as the 2d Infantry (Virginia Volunteers redesignated 3 June 1916 as the Virginia National Guard)
 * Called into federal service 30 June 1916 at Camp Stuart, Virginia; mustered out of federal service 28 February 1917 at Richmond
 * Called into federal service 25 March 1917 and mustered in 25 March - 3 April 1917 at home stations.
 * Drafted into federal service 5 August 1917
 * Consolidated 4 October 1917 with the 1st Infantry (organized in 1851) and the 4th Infantry (organized in 1882);
 * Demobilized 30 May 1919 at Camp Lee, Virginia
 * Former elements in western Virginia reorganized 12 October 1921 in the Virginia National Guard as the 2d Infantry
 * Redesigned 9 March 1922 as the 116th Infantry and assigned to the 29th Division (later redesignated as the 29th Infantry Division); Headquarters federally recognized 3 April 1922 at Staunton (Location of Headquarters changed 26 June 1933 to Lynchburg)
 * Inducted into federal service 3 February 1941 at home stations
 * Inactivated 6 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
 * Reorganized and federally recognized 24 March 1948 with Headquarters at Staunton
 * Reorganized 1 June 1959 as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System to consist of the 1st and 2d Battle Groups, elements of the 29th Infantry Division
 * Reorganized 22 March 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions, elements of the 29th Infantry Division
 * Reorganized 1 February 1968 to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 28th Infantry Division
 * Reorganized 1 April 1975 to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 116th Infantry Brigade (United States)

Annex
Organized 13 June 1881 in the Virginia Volunteers from existing companies in central Virginia as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Charlottesville (Location of Headquarters changed 15 November 1888 to Culpepper; on 12 March 1898 to Warrenton)
 * Mustered into federal service 13–26 May 1898 at Richmond as the 3rd Virginia Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of federal service 5 November 1898 at Richmond
 * Disbanded 29 April 1899
 * Elements of the former 3d Regiment of Infantry reorganized 1899-1902 in the Virginia Volunteers as separate infantry companies in central Virginia

Distinctive unit insignia
A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a saltire Argent voided throughout per saltire Gray and Azure per cross counterchanged, in chief a fleur-de-lis Or. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Gold bipartite scroll inscribed “EVER” to dexter and “FORWARD” to sinister in Black letters. This regiment has the unique distinction of being composed of elements which served in the United States service in the Confederate service and again the federal service and also the units have worn both blue and gray in both the federal and Confederate service. The tradition of Artillery is also in the Regiment. The shield is red with the familiar saltire cross, blue and gray edged with white. The gold fleur-de-lis recalls the service of the Regiment in France during World War I.                         The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 31 March 1925.
 * Description
 * Symbolism
 * Background

Blazon
Gules, a saltire Argent voided throughout per saltire Gray and Azure per cross counterchanged, in chief a fleur-de-lis Or. That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Virginia Army National Guard: On a wreath of the colors Argent and Gules “Virtus, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear with one hand and holding a sword in the other, and treading on Tyranny, represented by a man prostrate, a crown falling from his head, a broken chain in his left hand and a scourge in his right” all Proper. Motto: EVER FORWARD.
 * Shield
 * Crest

Symbolism
This regiment has the unique distinction of being composed of elements which served in the United States service in the Confederate service and again the federal service and also the units have worn both blue and gray in both the Federal and Confederate service. The tradition of Artillery is also in the regiment. The shield is red with the familiar saltire cross, blue and gray edged with white. The gold fleur-de-lis recalls the service of the regiment in France during World War I. The crest is that of the Virginia Army National Guard.
 * Shield
 * Crest

Background
The coat of arms was approved on 19 April 1924.

Campaign streamers
Revolutionary War War of 1812
 * Brandywine
 * Germantown
 * Monmouth
 * Charleston
 * Cowpens
 * Guilford Court House
 * Yorktown
 * Virginia 1775
 * Virginia 1776
 * Virginia 1781
 * South Carolina 1781
 * North Carolina 1781
 * Maryland 1814

Civil War (Confederate service) World War I World War II Headquarters Company (Lynchburg Home Guard), 2d Battalion, additionally entitled to: Civil War (Confederate service) World War I Company A (Monticello Guard, Charlottesville) and Support Company (Farmville Guard), 2d Battalion, each additionally entitled to: Civil War (Confederate service) Companies A and B (Alexandria Light Infantry, Manassas), 3d Battalion, each additionally entitled to: Civil War (Confederate service)
 * First Manassas
 * Peninsula
 * Valley
 * Second Manassas
 * Sharpsburg
 * Fredericksburg
 * Chancellorsville
 * Gettysburg
 * Wilderness
 * Spotsylvania
 * Cold Harbor
 * Petersburg
 * Appomattox
 * Virginia 1861
 * Virginia 1862
 * Virginia 1863
 * Virginia 1864
 * Maryland 1864
 * Meuse-Argonne
 * Alsace 1918
 * Normandy (with arrowhead)
 * Northern France
 * Rhineland
 * Central Europe
 * North Carolina 1863
 * North Carolina 1864
 * Champagne-Marne
 * Aisne-Marne
 * St. Mihiel
 * Lorraine 1918
 * Champagne 1918
 * North Carolina 1863
 * Tennessee 1863

Decorations
Headquarters Company (Roanoke) and Company A (Bedford), 1st Battalion, and Headquarters Company (Lynchburg Home Guard), 2d Battalion, each additionally entitled to:
 * Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered NORMANDY
 * French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered BEACHES OF NORMANDY
 * Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered VIRE
 * French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, Streamer embroidered VIRE
 * Meritorious Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered AFGHANISTAN