104th Infantry Regiment

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104th Infantry Regiment

Postby Gunther » Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:58 pm

How much did you read about the 104th Rhonnin?

Did you get into what the colors of the crest mean? Here they are:
The blue of the shield represents the present color of Infantry and the white represents the old color of Infantry which shows a continued service in the Infantry since 1639. The Torch is indicative of the origin as a Train Band Regiment with the three flames citing three centuries of service. (We'll need a 4th in 2039) The Arrowhead symbolizes combat during the French and Indian Wars. The Cross of St. George recalls service during the Revolution and the War of 1812. The Regiment fought under this cross for over 100 years. The Chevron formed by the white and blue divisions at the top of the shield represents the "Bloody Angle" at Spottsylvania during the Civil War (as the 9th MA Inf). The castle like top of the torch memorizes the Santiago Campaign of the Spanish American War. The Six Stars mark the six major engagements of World War I, in which the 104th Infantry participated: Chemin Des Dames, Apremont, Campagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. When the shield is used in connection with a plaque, you may see a crest over it--a powerful arm held high. That is the crest of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The state where the regiment had its headquarters. Beneath the shield you might see the inscription "Fortitude et Courage". That motto was adopted by the regiment on the battlefields of France in WWI, taking the quote from General Pasaga of the French Army on whose citation this regiment became the first American Regiment of the American Expeditionary forces to be decorated by a foreign power.

Campaign Participation
The Revolution
Boston
Quebec
Trenton
Princeton
Saratoga
Monmouth
New York (1776)
Rhode Island (1778)
New York (1780)

War of 1812
the unit received a streamer without inscription

Civil War
Peninsula
Antietam
Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Wilderness
Spotsylvania
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Virginia 1863

War with Spain
Santiago

World War I
Champagne-Marne
Aisne-Marne
St. Mihiel
Meuse-Argonne
Ile de France (1918)
Lorraine (1918)

World War II
Northern France
France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe

War on Terrorism
Bosnia-Herzegovina

Prior to and during the American Revolution the 104th lineage is drawn from the Hampshire and Berkshire Light Infantry Regiments. During the War of 1812 and up until the Civil War then after the Civil war and up to 1913 they drew their lineage from the 2nd MA Infantry Regiment. During the Civil War they drew their lineage from the 9th MA Infantry Regiment. In 1913 the state militia regiments were converted to Federal designations--104th Infantry Regiment (US).

During the Civil War, at the battle of Antietam, the Division the 9th MA was in engaged in a foot race north through Maryland from Harper's Ferry to Antietam with Confederate General A.P. Hill's Division. The Confederates made a significant impact on the fight that evening by hitting the left flank of Burnside's IX Corps as it pushed up from the Antietam creek. The Union Division that the 9th MA was assigned to arrived to late on the battlefield to have any impact.

At the Battle Fredericksburg, they guarded the pontoon bridges across the Rapahanock River.

At the Battle of Gettysburg they arrived on 3 July and took up a position along cemetery ridge just north of Little Round Top. Picket's charge was on the center of the line and they were no where near the shooting.

At the Battle of Spotsylvania, they were exposed to intense fire from the Stonewall Jackson Brigade (VA) at the "Bloody Angle". At this location the of the battlefield, the union and confederate troops were behind breastworks separated by about 10 meters of dead space. At the conclusion of this engagement, the 9th MA was at 60% combat strength--losing 40%. The Stonewall Jackson Brigade ceased to exist as a fighting force.*

During the Spanish American War, the 2nd MA fought at the Battle of El Caney about 6 miles East of Santiago and the heights made famous by Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

During WWI, they defended a piece of ground at Apremont, France that a French regiment had lost three times before. The 104th established a defense in depth with the 2nd Battalion anchored in the middle as the main effort. When the Germans attacked, the 104th successively withdrew as they engaged the enemy. The 104th drew the Germans into a kill sack that all three battalions were able to kill the enemy in murderous cross fire until they ran out of ammunition. Just at that point in the battle when the Germans could have gained the advantage, the 2nd battalion fixed bayonets and charged into the German attackers killing them and chasing them back to their original jumping off positions and a little beyond. The entire time they counter-attacked they sang, "Hail Hail The Gangs all Here!". For this action in April 1918, the 104th received the Fourrage from General Pasaga. Two weeks later, the 82nd Infantry Division received the same award.

During WWII, the 104th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division which was in the same Corps with the 10th Armored Division and the 4th Infantry Division. This Corps belonged to Patton's 3rd Army. It was this Corps that Patton sent 100 miles in 48 hours to relieve the 101st Infantry (ABN) at Bastogne.

During Operation Joint Forge, Bosnia-Herzegovina the 104th Infantry was assigned to the 29th Infantry Division (Light) "The Blue and the Gray". The nickname of the 29th is such because it had units that served in both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. One of these units was the 116th Infantry Regiment of Virginia which drew its lineage from the Stone Wall Jackson Brigade--"The Bloody Angle".

The only unit from the 104th to serve in Bosnia was A Company, First Battalion 104th Infantry. Several other soldiers from the 104th served on Division Staff as volunteers, including myself.
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Postby rhonnin » Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:24 pm

What I read was pretty brief and just touched on the symbolism of the images and the colors, what made me look twice was where it said the three flames on the torch represented three centiries of existence.
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Postby Gunther » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:23 pm

The problem with that is the that the one remaining battalion of the regiment is rolling up its colors this month and going out of business. The 104th Infantry Regiment goes into retirement. So, unless some major world calamity occurs to pull our retired colors out into the mud again, I fear she will never receive her 4th flame.
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Postby HeavyArmsCustum » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:27 pm

That's sad.
But still wow, thats a lot of info for that.
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