135th Infantry Regiment (United States)

135th Infantry Regiment

Coat of arms
Active 1861
Country  United States
Branch Minnesota Army National Guard
Type Infantry
Size Regiment
Motto TO THE LAST MAN
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia
U.S. Infantry Regiments
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134th Infantry Regiment 136th Infantry Regiment

The 135th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the Army National Guard.

During the Civil War, the First Minnesota Regiment, today the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment (2/135) was the first volunteer regiment to offer its services to President Lincoln. The men of the 1st Minnesota are most remembered for their actions on the late afternoon of 2 July 1863, during the second day's fighting at Gettysburg, resulting in the prevention of a serious breach in the Union defensive line on Cemetery Ridge.

Lineage

1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry organized 27 April 1861 at Fort Snelling. (Company A Pioneer Guards organized 17 April 1856 at St. Paul).

reorganized in 1870 from Regimental Veteran Association as 1st Regiment Minnesota Enrolled Militia

Expanded and redesignated in 1883 as 1st Infantry Regiment Minnesota National Guard.

(3rd Battalion 135th Infantry hereafter separate lineage).

Distinctive unit insignia

A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 18 inches (2.9 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Argent, on a saltire Azure between in chief a fleur-de-lis Gules, in fess the Corps badge of the 2d Division, 8th Army Corps during the Spanish War Proper (two Silver circles overlapping each other one-third radius, resembling the figure “8”) fringed of the third and two bolos saltirewise and in base a bull’s skull of the like, the 2d Division, 2d Corps badge of the Civil War of the fourth (a Silver three-leaf clover with stem, voided). Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Silver scroll inscribed “TO THE LAST MAN” in Blue letters.

The shield is white (silver), the old Infantry colors. The blue saltire is taken from the Confederate flag - for Civil War service. At the battle of Gettysburg the 1st Minnesota Infantry Volunteers were in the 2d Division, 2d Corps (Hancock’s), whose badge was the three-leaf clover. The figure “8” represents the Spanish War service and the crossed bolos the Philippine Insurrection service, while the fleur-de-lis represents World War I service of the 135th Infantry. The bull’s skull (shoulder sleeve insignia of the 34th Division) indicates service with this Division during the period of peace and through World War II.

The distinctive unit insignia was approved for the 135th Infantry Regiment on 18 June 1926. It was amended to show additional war service on 19 December 1951.

Coat of arms

Campaign streamers

Civil War
  • Bull Run
  • Peninsula
  • Valley
  • Antietam
  • Virginia 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865
  • Fredericksburg
  • Gettysburg
  • Petersburg

Spanish War

  • Manila

Philippine Insurrection

  • Luzon
  • San Isidro

World War I

  • without inscription

World War II

  • Tunisia
  • Naples-Foggia
  • Anzio
  • Rome-Arno
  • North Apennines
  • Po Valley

Decorations

References

    External links