A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 7th U.S* INFANTRY:
"Voiens et Potens" (Willing and Able)
(Reprinted from the “Infantry School News'* •)
“Ihe Seventh United States Infantry was organised under an
act of Congress in Ju2y 179C* Its first engagement ’ms at Tippecanoe,
near the preterit town of Lai ayetc^sIndiana,where it r outed the Indians
with great slaughter«
The next engagement was fought at Fort Harrison, Ohio,now
Terre Haut-8, Indiana, xr September, 1812. Here the Indians attacked and
set fire to the bleckhouees hali.d by the 7th,and conrianded by Captain ^
Zachary Taylor,later President, of the United States* This engagement
was followed by one at Vi 11 ere*s Plantation, Louisiana,with the Brit
ish, in December, 1314c -Here tho regiment was conspicuous for its brav
ery, and was highly complimented for its conduct under fire*
The battle of New: Orleans, La« was fought in January, 1815,
and was the decisive land victory for the Americans in the War of 1812*
The British army vae oonjjosed of veteran regiments which had fought
under the Duke of Wel lingt on* It was at New Orleans that the 7th In
fantry was compelled to use bales of cotton for intrenchments, and it
was the only regular army regiment in action*
In J81s the regiment was ordered to Georgia,and then to
Fort Gibson, Arkansas, vhere it remained until the Florida War, then
being fierce3.y waged by Chief Osceola of the Seminole Indians* The
important batt3^es fought by the regiment in this war were at Fort
King, Fort Drane,Martin* s Point, Point Hammock, and Wahoo Sump, all in
1840.
In 1846 difficulties with the Republic of Mexico found the
7th Infantry older ed to Corpus Christif Texas* In March of the same
year it was moved to the Rio‘Grande, opposite Hat am or as, Mexico# Here
Fort Brown was established,and became the object of terrific bombard
ment by the Mexicans, but the. Tin derended th* post gallantly and
successfully. Tnnedir-t-ely after thi* siege the regiment proceeded to
Monterey,and participated in the Battle of Monterey,Mexico,in Septem
ber,1846. Leaving Monterey,the 7th arrived in Tempico,Hex.,and embarked
in February of 1847 for Vera Cruse,where it joined in the siege of the
city and castle of San Juan.
xhe 7th Infantry then took up the line of narch toward the
interior, and arrived in Aw5.^IB47,at Csjvo Gc* do, vhere the Mexicans
were found to bs sti9ong..y intrenched. the regi ler t vras ordered to
storm the heights of. 6 err o $orco, which vit?j performed with bril
liant successo A Sergeant of the 7th witn his own hands,
hauled down the nat.iouuj standard of He.rJ.ec from the Fort® From Cerro
Gordo the regiment ccnr.inued on to Jalnta, and went into came. In Aug
ust; 1847, the regiment Raptured Cottrerr.* ond Churubusso. In* September
of this same year the txginent attacked the works of Chapultepee, and
on the 14th of the nc-n^a, with colors proudly flying, it marched into
the City of Mexico,where it remittee. until February, 1848.
Returning to Florida until June,1850, the regiment was ordered
to Jefferson Barracks’, 1 iissouri. thence to Ft,Leavenworth,Kansas,r©turn
'■ ’ inC again in 1850 to Jefferson Barracks,which was the rendevous’for
service in Utah against the Hormone. In April,I860,the 7th took station
in New Mexico, arriving in, Santa Fe in August of that year."
(To be continued next week).