Infantry Branch (United States)

The Infantry Branch is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775.

History
Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775. However, the oldest Regular Army infantry regiment, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, was constituted on 3 June 1784, as the First American Regiment

Organization
On 3 March 1791, Congress added to the Army "The Second Regiment of Infantry Army organized into seven infantry regiments, 1815
 * The Act of 16 July 1798, authorized twelve additional regiments of infantry
 * an Act of Congress on 11 January 1812, increased the regular army to 46 infantry and 4 rifle regiments
 * an Act of Congress on 3 March 1815, which reduced the Regular Army from the 46 infantry and 4 rifle regiments it fielded in the War of 1812 to a peacetime establishment of 8 infantry regiments (reduced to 7 in 1821). The Army's current regimental numbering system dates from this act.
 * 1st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 2nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 3rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 4th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 5th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 6th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 1st AD in 1940)
 * 7th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Ten one year regiments were authorized by the Act of 11 February 1847. and after the Mexican American war reduced back to pre war levels. (Mexican War expansion added eight regiments (designated 9th–16th Infantry), 1847, but these were discontinued,) Civil war expansion to 19 regiments In a major expansion under General Order 92, War Department, 23 November 1866, pursuant to an act of 28 July 1866 (14 Stat. 332), 2d and 3d battalions of the existing 11th- 19th Infantry Regiments were designated 20th–37th Infantry Regiments, with four new regiments (38th–41st) to be composed of black enlisted men, and new 42d-45th Infantry Regiments for wounded veterans of the Civil War. (Reduced by consolidation to 25 regiments, under General Order 17, War Department, 15 March 1869, with the 24th and 25th constituting the black enlisted force.)
 * 8th Infantry Regiment (United States) added in 1838
 * 9th Infantry Regiment (United States) added 1855
 * 10th Infantry Regiment (United States) added 1855
 * 11th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 12th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 13th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 14th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 15th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 16th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 17th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 18th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 19th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 20th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 21st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 22nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 24th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 25th Infantry Regiment (United States)

On 2 February 1901, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act which authorized five additional regiments (26th-30th).
 * 26th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 27th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 28th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 29th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 30th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The Militia Act of 1903 established the National Guard.

In 1916 Congress enacted the National Defense Act and under War Department General Orders Number 22 dated 30 June 1916 that ordered seven new Regiments to be organised; four in the Continental United States, one in the Philippine Islands (31st Infantry Regiment (United States), one in Hawaii (32nd Infantry Regiment (United States), and one, the 33rd Infantry, in the Canal Zone. In 1917 a new numbering system was set up 1–100 for regular army, 101–300 for the national guard, 301 and up for the National Army (USA). 167 national guard units were renumbered from the old state system to the new federal system. However the "69th, and 71st New York" were able to lobby for their old 19th Century numbers which created doubles of these numbers.
 * 31st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 32nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 33rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 34th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 35th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 36th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 3rd AD)
 * 37th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 38th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 39th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 40th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 41st Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 2nd AD)
 * 42nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 43rd Infantry Regiment (United States) (Reorganized April 1921 as a PS-Unit)
 * 44th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Reorganized April 1921 as a PS-Unit)
 * 45th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Reorganized April 1921 as a PS-Unit)
 * 46th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 5th AD)
 * 47th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 48th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 7th AD)
 * 49th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 8th AD)
 * 50th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 6th AD)
 * 51st Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 4th AD)
 * 52nd Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 9th AD)
 * 53rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 54th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 10th AD)
 * 55th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 11th AD)
 * 56th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 12th AD)
 * 57th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Reorganized April 1921 as a PS-Unit)
 * 58th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 59th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 13th AD)
 * 60th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 61st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 62nd Infantry Regiment (United States) (Converted to Armored Infantry, 14th AD)
 * 63rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 64th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 65th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Reorganized by the Reorganization Act of 4 June 1920 from the Porto Rico Regiment)
 * 66th Infantry Regiment (United States) (converted to Armor Regiment in 1940)
 * 67th Infantry Regiment (United States) (converted to Armor Regiment in 1940)
 * 68th Infantry Regiment (United States) (converted to Armor Regiment in 1940)
 * 69th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 69th Infantry Regiment (New York) (redesignated from 165th in 1996)
 * 70th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 71st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 71st Infantry Regiment (New York)
 * 72nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 73rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 74th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Redesignation from 474th Infantry)
 * 75th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne)
 * 75th Ranger Regiment (United States)
 * 76th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 77th Infantry Regiment (United States) (PS)
 * 78th Infantry Regiment (United States) (PS)
 * 79th Infantry Regiment (United States) (PS)
 * 80th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 81st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 82nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 83rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 84th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 85th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Mountain)
 * 86th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Mountain)
 * 87th Infantry Regiment (United States) (Mountain)
 * 88th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 89th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 90th Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 91st Infantry Regiment (United States)
 * 92nd Infantry Regiment through 100th Infantry Regiment (never constituted)

A new system, the U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System, or CARS, was adopted in 1957 to replace the old regimental system. CARS uses the Army's traditional regiments as parent organizations for historical purposes, but the primary building blocks are divisions, and brigade became battalions. Each battalion carries an association with a parent regiment, even though the regimental organization no longer exists. In some brigades several numbered battalions carrying the same regimental association may still serve together, and tend to consider themselves part of the traditional regiment when in fact they are independent battalions serving a brigade, rather than a regimental, headquarters. The CARS was replaced by the U.S. Army Regimental System (USARS) in 1981. There are exceptions to USARS regimental titles, including the Armored Cavalry Regiments and the 75th Ranger Regiment created in 1986. On 1 October 2005, the word "regiment" was formally appended to the name of all active and inactive CARS and USARS regiments. So, for example, the 1st Cavalry officially became titled the 1st Cavalry Regiment

Branch insignia
Two gold color crossed muskets, vintage 1795 Springfield musket (Model 1795 Musket), 3/4 inch in height.

Crossed muskets were first introduced into the Army as the insignia of officers and enlisted men of the Infantry on 19 November 1875 (War Department General Order No. 96 dtd 19 Nov 1875) to take effect on or before 1 June 1876. Numerous attempts in the earlier years were made to keep the insignia current with the ever changing styles of rifles being introduced into the Army. However, in 1924 the branch insignia was standardized by the adoption of crossed muskets and the 1795 model Springfield Arsenal musket was adopted as the standard musket to be used. This was the first official United States shoulder arm, made in a government arsenal, with interchangeable parts, caliber .69, flint lock, smooth bore, muzzle loader. The standardized musket now in use was first suggested by Major General Charles S. Farnsworth, U.S. Army, while he was the first Chief of Infantry, in July 1921, and approved by General Pershing, Chief of Staff, in 1922. The device adopted in 1922 has been in continual use since 1924. There have been slight modifications in the size of the insignia over the years; however, the basic design has remained unchanged.

The plaque design has the branch insignia, letters and border in gold. The background is light blue.
 * Branch plaque

Personnel assigned to the Infantry branch affiliate with a specific regiment and wear the insignia of the affiliated regiment.
 * Regimental insignia

There is no standard infantry regimental flag to represent all of the infantry regiments. Each regiment of infantry has its own coat of arms which appears on the breast of a displayed eagle. The background of all the infantry regimental flags is flag blue with yellow fringe.
 * Regimental coat of arms

Baby Blue – 65014 cloth; 67120 yarn; PMS 5415.
 * Branch colors

The Infantry has made two complete cycles between white and light blue. During the Revolutionary War, white facings were prescribed for the Infantry. White was the color used for Infantry until 1851 at which time light or Saxony blue was prescribed for the pompon and for the trimming on Infantry horse furniture. In 1857, the color was prescribed as light or sky blue. In 1886, the linings of capes and trouser stripes were prescribed to be white. However, in 1902, the light blue was prescribed again. In 1917, the cape was still lined with light blue but the Infantry trouser stripes were of white as were the chevrons for enlisted men. The infantry color is light blue; however, infantry regimental flags and guidons have been National Flag blue since 1835. White is used as a secondary color on the guidons for letters, numbers, and insignia.

14 June 1775. The Infantry is the oldest branch in the Army. Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by the Continental Congress Resolve of 14 June 1775. However, the oldest Regular Army Infantry Regiment, the 3d Infantry, was constituted on 3 June 1784 as the First American Regiment.
 * Birthday

Current configuration
The United States Army Infantry School is currently at Fort Benning.
 * 1st Infantry Division
 * 2nd Infantry Division
 * 3rd Infantry Division
 * 4th Infantry Division
 * 10th Mountain Division
 * 25th Infantry Division
 * 82nd Airborne Division
 * 101st Airborne Division