Republican Blues
| Republican Blues | |
|---|---|
 Distinctive Unit Insignia: 118 FA | |
| Active | 1808–present |
| Country |
 United States |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America.svg.png){kind=small} Confederate States of America |
| Branch |
 United States Army Confederate States Army United States of America |
| Type | Artillery |
| Size | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Savannah, Georgia |
| Nickname(s) |
Blues (special designation)[1] Lightning Brigade (former) |
| Engagements |
War of 1812 American Civil War World War I World War II Iraq Campaign Afghanistan Campaign |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, Belgian Fourragere |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Robert H. Anderson John Wayne Anderson George Wayne Anderson |
The Republican Blues were a military company formed in Savannah, Georgia. The Blues were first organized in 1808 and served at Fort Jackson and in Florida during the War of 1812. The Blues, typical of Savannah's old military units, were a fraternal social organization and a well-trained military unit. The Blues defended Georgia's coast from the Union Navy between 1861 and 1864. Unlike most Confederate units formed during the Civil War, the Republican Blues had been an existing militia organization for over fifty years before the war started. They recruited from the most prominent families in and around Savannah. They fought in all the nations wars after The Civil War as part of the Georgia National guard, with the lone exception being The Spanish-American War. Today they remain in service, as a modular artillery brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard, the 118th Field Artillery.
As part of the 48th Infantry Brigade, the 118th FA is of the oldest units in US Army history. It is one of few units in the US military that also saw service as a unit of the Confederate States of America during the US Civil War.
History and lineage
The Republican Blues were originally organized in 1808, at Savannah, Georgia. It mustered into Federal service in June 1812, in Florida.
The unit was brought into Confederate service on 20 April 1861 at Savannah, GA and was reorganized and redesignated on 22 April 1861 as Company C, 1st Battalion, Georgia Infantry. Assigned to strategic Fort McAllister in 1862,[2] they repulsed more than seven US Naval attempts to capture Fort McAllister, which protected Savannah. They successfully fought off Union ironclads, winning the praise of Confederate generals and congressmen. In May 1864, the Blues left Fort McAllister to reinforce Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in northern Georgia. After Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's forces captured Atlanta, The Blues went into Tennessee and fought in the Battle of Nashville. It was during this time when the Blues began to show signs of war weariness. The Blues later marched into the Carolinas and surrendered to Sherman's army in the spring of 1865 in North Carolina. The unit was reorganized and federally recognized 29 November 1920 in the Georgia National Guard at Savannah, Georgia.
From 1945 to 1973, the unit underwent a series of redesignations culminating in its current form, as part of the 48th Infantry Brigade. It reorganized and was federally recognized 12 December 1946 as an element of the 48th Infantry Division.
Gallery
-
Republican Blues in 1860
-
USS Montauk Attacks Fort McAllister
References
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Christman, p. 16
- Dixon, William Daniel and Durham, Roger S, The Blues in Gray - The Civil War Journal of William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues Daybook, University of Tennessee Press, 2000, ISBN 978-1-5723-3101-3
- Durham, Roger S., Guardian of Savannah - Fort McAllister, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond, The University of South Carolina Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-5700-3742-9
- Christman, William E., UNDAUNTED: The History of Fort McAllister, Georgia, Darien Printing & Graphics, 1996, Library of Congress Catalog 96-77666 ASIN:
- Smith, Derek, Civil War Savannah, Frederic C. Beil, 1997, ISBN 978-1929490004