15-й пехотный полк армии США: История и боевой путь

The 15th United States Infantry Regiment is a parent regiment in the United States Army. It has a lineage tracing back to the American Civil War, having participated in many battles.

The official Army history and lineage does not credit the current 15th Infantry with the honors or lineage of these earlier regiments. The first 15th Infantry in the U. S. Army was organized on 16 July 1798 for the "Quasi War" with France. The regiment saw no war service and was inactivated in 1800. A second 15th Infantry was activated in 1812 in New Jersey for service in Canada during the War of 1812. The 15th fought in the capture of Toronto and Fort George in April and May 1813, and covered the retreat of militia troops from Fort George in December 1813. A portion of the 15th were the last American troops to abandon Cornwall during the St. Lawrence Campaign of 1813. In this retreat, no member of the 15th was captured, despite taking heavy casualties. The 15th fought in the Champlain Valley campaign in autumn 1814 at Plattsburgh, and participated in General Dearborn's offensive in Ontario in October, and took part in many smaller battles that same year. The regiment was eliminated in the Army reorganization of 1815. On 11 February 1847, a new 15th Infantry was activated for service in Mexico. As companies of the 15th arrived at Vera Cruz, they moved inland to join General Winfield Scott's army advancing on Mexico City. The regiment fought in the battles of Contreras and Churubusco, as well as smaller engagements before storming the walls of Chapultepec in Mexico City. Following garrison duty in Mexico City and Cuernavaca, the regiment returned to the United States for inactivation in August 1848.

The current 15th Infantry was activated during the Civil War on 3 May 1861 by General Order No. 33. It was one of nine new Regular Army regiments, numbered 11 through 19, which were organized into three 8 company battalions. The battalions often operated independently of each other. Its headquarters first in Wheeling, West Virginia then Cleveland, Ohio, then on to Newport Barracks, Kentucky and finally ending up in Fort Adams, Rhode Island in September 1862. Fort Adams served as the regiment's training depot were new recruits were trained and organized into companies before being sent to the front lines. At the Battle of Shiloh on 7 April 1862, the 15th Infantry was the first new infantry regiment to engage in battle in the Civil War. In April–May 1862, the regiment marched toward and fought in the First Battle of Corinth, Mississippi. By the end of the Civil War, the regiment had fought in 22 major engagements, including Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta as a part of Brigadier General John H. King's Brigade under Gen. Richard Johnson's Division, XIV Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland. The regiment was a key element of the only regular brigade in Sherman's Army. The regiment's crest includes the acorn, the symbol of the Major General George Thomas's XIV Corps, and the mountains of stone to symbolize the corps' firm stand as the "Rock of Chickamauga". The four acorns represent the four major engagements. During the Civil War, the regiment was commanded by Colonel Fitz John Porter from May 1861 to January 1863. Porter spent little time in actual command of the regiment after its original organization, as he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in August 1861. Porter served as a division and corps commander in the Army of the Potomac until he was dismissed from service in January 1863. During Porter's absence, the regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James P. Sanderson. Porter was succeed as regimental commander by Colonel Oliver L. Shepherd who served as such from January 1863 to December 1870.

In September 1866 the regiment was reorganized. The first battalion continued as the 15th Infantry and was expanded from 8 to 10 companies. The 2nd Battalion became the 24th Infantry Regiment (consolidated with the 29th Infantry in 1869 to form the 11th Infantry) and the 3rd Battalion became the 33rd Infantry Regiment (consolidated in 1869 with the 8th Infantry). In 1869 the 35th Infantry Regiment was consolidated with the 15th Infantry. (Note that the 24th Infantry Regiment mentioned above should not be confused with the African American 24th Infantry Regiment which was formed in 1869 by the consolidation of the 38th and 41st Infantry Regiments.)

Following the Civil War, the 15th Infantry served on occupation duty in Alabama until 1869. The regiment redeployed to the West, serving in Missouri, New Mexico, the Dakotas, and Colorado. The regiment remained in New Mexico for a little over 12 years. At the end of that time, the headquarters and six companies were sent to Ft. Lewis, Colorado; three companies to Fort Lyon, Colorado; with one company remaining in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1879 and 1880 the regiment was deeply involved in operations against the Mimbres Apaches under the warrior Victorio in New Mexico and received a campaign streamer for those operations. In October and November 1882, the regiment was transferred to the Department of Dakota: Headquarters, A, C, D, and H Companies took station at Fort Randall, South Dakota; B and I Companies at Pembina, North Dakota; G and K Companies at Fort Lincoln, North Dakota; E and F Companies at Fort Stevenson, North Dakota.

The 15th participated in campaigns against the Ute Tribe of Colorado and against the Mescalero Apaches. In May 1890, four companies proceeded to new posts in the Department of the East: A and G Companies moved to Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama; D Company to Fort Barrancas, Florida; and K Company to Jackson Barracks, Louisiana. In July 1890 Companies I and K were skeletonized. Also in July, the headquarters and the five companies remaining in the Department of Dakota were assigned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In August, Companies E and H proceeded to Fort Sheridan. The regimental headquarters moved to Fort Sheridan in January 1891. The remaining companies from Dakota and the companies serving in the South completed their moves in May 1891. The final reconsolidation of all 15th Infantry companies after 12 years of being scattered throughout the West and South was concluded on 29 May 1891. While at Fort Sheridan the regiment played a vital role in containing the Chicago Railway Riots in July 1894. The regiment remained as part of the Department of the Missouri until 15 October 1896, then served in the Department of Colorado from 19 October 1896 to 6 October 1898.

With the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898, the regiment moved to Huntsville, Alabama, on 12 October for intensive training. On 27 November 1898, it sailed from Savannah, Georgia for Nuevitas, Cuba, for occupation duty. On 5 January 1900, the regiment sailed home to be posted throughout upper New York State and Vermont.

From 20 August 1990 through 22 March 1991, the 3rd Battalion participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, to free Kuwait from Iraqi oppression. In 1993, the 3rd Battalion deployed three companies to Mogadishu, Somalia, to conduct combat operations in Operations Restore and Continue Hope. In 1994, the 2nd Battalion deployed to Macedonia to deter Serbian aggression. In 1994 the 3rd Battalion deployed one company to Haiti to support Operation Uphold Democracy. In 1995 1st Battalion deployed to Macedonia to deter Serbian aggression. The 1st Battalion colors were returned from Germany in 1996. The 1 18 IN was reflagged as 1 15 IN on 15 February 1996. The actual reflagging ceremony was held at Fort Stewart on 25 April 1996. The 2nd Battalion was inactivated in 1996. From 2000 to 2001, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry deployed to Camp McGovern in Bosnia as an element of Task Force Eagle in support of Operation Joint Forge.

The 1st and 3rd Battalions deployed to Iraq with the 3d Infantry Division in 2003 and again in 2005–06, with one battalion falling under the 42nd Infantry Division. The 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq for the third time in March 2007. The 3rd Battalion was inactivated and reflagged the same year at Fort Stewart, Georgia. In 2009 the 3rd Battalion was reactivated at Fort Stewart. The 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq in 2009 assuming responsibility for operations in ad Diwaniyah and an Najaf for Operation Iraqi Freedom VII and Operation New Dawn. In early 2013, nearly all of 3rd Battalion deployed to Wardak Province, Afghanistan operating from Combat Outpost Soltan Kheyl and FOB Airborne. The unit suffered five casualties. On 15 December 2015, the 1st Battalion at Fort Benning was inactivated. The last remaining unit is the 3rd Battalion located at Fort Stewart in 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. 3rd Battalion was the home of one of a small number of Special Reconnaissance Platoons created to better bridge the gap between conventional forces and Special Forces.

The shield is of white and blue, the old and the new colors of the Infantry. The Red Acorn was the badge of XIV Army Corps under which the 15th Infantry fought during the Civil war. The acorn is repeated four times to commemorate the four major engagements in which the regiment participated: Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The rock denotes the fact that the regiment was under the Command of General George Henry Thomas for the battle in which he earned his famous sobriquet: "The Rock of Chickamauga". The Chinese dragon, in gold metal, is indicative of the regiment's service in China during the Boxer Rebellion from 1900 to 1938, of which the period after 1912 was continuous. The sunburst, triangle, and devices atop the coat of arms is symbolic of the Katipunan flag of the Philippine Insurrection. The coat of arms was approved on 30 April 1923. It was amended to correct the blazon of the shield and crest on 14 July 1924.

The 15th Infantry didn't receive any separate Presidential Unit Citation for World War II. Ribbon Award Streamer embroideredPresidential Unit Citation (Army): GO No. 15: 3rd Battalion, 3–8 August 1943, World War IISAN FRATELLOPresidential Unit Citation (Army): GO No. 21: 1st Battalion, 27–29 August 1944, World War IIMONTELIMARPresidential Unit Citation (Army): GO No. 44: 3rd Infantry Division, 22 January–6 February 1945, World War IICOLMARPresidential Unit Citation (Army): GO No. 75: Company L, 19–26 October 1943, World War IIPresidential Unit Citation (Army): GO No. 123: Antitank Company, 18–20 April 1945, World War IIPresidential Unit Citation (Army)KOWANG NIPresidential Unit Citation (Army)IRAQ 2003Presidential Unit Citation (Navy)HWACHON RESERVOIRValorous Unit AwardIRAQ 2007 2008Meritorious Unit CommendationIRAQ 2009 2010Navy Unit CommendationPANMUNJOMFrench Croix de guerre with PalmCOLMARFrench Fourragère in the colors of the Croix de guerreRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationUIJONGBU CORRIDORRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationIRON TRIANGLERepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationKOREA 1950–1952Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery Gold Medal of Greece)KOREA 1950–1953