141st Field Artillery Regiment
| 141st Field Artillery Regiment | |
|---|---|
|
Coat of arms | |
| Active | 1838–present |
| Country |
 United States |
| Allegiance |
United States.svg.png){kind=small} Confederate States (1861–1865) |
| Branch | Louisiana Army National Guard |
| Nickname(s) | Washington Artillery (special designation)[1] |
| Motto | "TRY US!" |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Engagements |
Mexican–American War US Civil War{CSA} Spanish–American War Mexican Expedition World War II Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | LTC Kenneth Baillie |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |
 |
The 141st Field Artillery Regiment (Washington Artillery[1]) is a United States field artillery regiment.
History
The 141st Field Artillery is an historic American military unit that is currently part of the Louisiana Army National Guard[2] headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana.[3] It traces its lineage to a militia artillery battery back to 1838, and its heritage includes substantial combat service in several major wars. It earned the Presidential Unit Citation (US) for its service in World War II.
The Washington Artillery was founded on September 7, 1838, as the Washington Artillery Company.[4] It received its regimental flag in August 1846 after serving under Zachary Taylor in the Mexican–American War.
26 May 1861 the Unit was mustered into the American Civil War;[5] four companies served in the Army of Northern Virginia and a fifth was in the Army of Tennessee. Elements of the Washington Artillery participated in over sixty major actions. A few notable engagements include: Battle of Antietam, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Fredericksburg, First Battle of Manassas, and the Battle of Cold Harbor.
After the Civil War, it was reorganized as an independent unit called the "Louisiana Volunteer Field Artillery" where it served the United States in the occupation of Cuba. It later was called into service to protect the Mexican border in 1916. A year later it received the designation 141st Artillery. In early 1941, the 141st Field Artillery was mobilized for World War II where it earned the Presidential Unit Citation; a duplicate unit was formed, the 935th Field Artillery Battalion, with both serving in Europe and North Africa. The anti-tank batteries of the battalion were separated in mid-1941, and formed the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion.
Between 1959 and 1967, several sister units were combined to form the 141st Field Artillery Battalion. In 2004 through 2005 and again in 2010, the 141st FA as part of the 256th Infantry Brigade mobilized to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
On 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi[6] while most members of the Washington Artillery were still serving their final weeks of deployment in Iraq. Following the return of the Battalion to Louisiana, a detachment immediately mobilized to New Orleans to aid law enforcement with rescue efforts. With the help of the Louisiana State Police, those efforts transitioned into a support mission for the New Orleans Police Department. Joint Task Force Gator was created to help combat the rise of looting and other crimes resulting from the loss of law enforcement officers in the New Orleans area. After three-and-a-half years of assisting local police and patrolling the city, the task force was released from duty on 28 February 2009.[7]
Regimental colors and streamers
Regimental colors of the Washington Artillery
These are the Campaign streamers awarded to the Regiment:
Mexican–American War
Streamer without inscription
World War I
Streamer without inscription
World War II
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 LTC Brian P. Champagne unfurling the battalion colors, Baghdad, Iraq 2010 |
 MAJ Steven M. Finney(left of center) accepts the battalion colors from the Louisiana Adjutant General, MG Bennett C. Landreneau (right of center) becoming the battalion commander in June 2011 |
Current
The 141st Field Artillery currently consists of the 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery. It is assigned as the fires battalion for the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Louisiana Army National Guard headquartered in the famed Jackson Barracks.
Commanders[8]
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 MAJ Kenneth Baillie (left of center) accepts the battalion colors from the Louisiana Adjutant General, MG Glenn H. Curtis (right of center) becoming the battalion commander in January 2013 |
References
- 1 2 "Special Designation Listing". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ↑ "Organizations > Army National Guard". Louisiana National Guard. (la.ng.mil) State of Louisiana. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ "Washington Artillery Arsenals – Home Sweet Home". washingtonartillery.com. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ Janice E. McKenney, ed. (2010) [1st. pub. 1985]. Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series. U.S. Army Center of Military History. pp. 1157–1163. OCLC 275151269.
- ↑ Bartlett, Napier (1874). A soldier's story of the war; including the marches and battles of the Washington artillery, and of other Louisiana troops. Cornell University Library (1 June 2009). pp. 12–16. ISBN 1-112-13323-2. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ↑ Hurricane Katrina. Retrieved on 24 November 2011
- ↑ Guard wraps up Joint Task Force Gator. Retrieved on 24 November 2011
- ↑ "Washington Artillery Commanders". 5 December 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ↑ "Washington Artillery Commanders". Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ↑ "CIVIL WAR REFERENCE SITE Washington Artillery Commanders". 2 June 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
External links
- Louisiana National Guard 1/141 Official Home Page (No Longer Updated)
- 1/141st Field Artillery (Washington Artillery) Unofficial Home Page
- Washington Artillery of New Orleans
- Washington Artillery Veterans Association
- 141st Field Artillery Insignia ←dead link 19 Apr 2015
- Washington Artillery History Page (Unofficial)
- Washington Artillery Early Uniforms (Unofficial)
- Washington Artillery Service Record / History (Archived 2009-10-19)*"The Washington Artillery, 5th Company, at the Battle of Perryville" – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush