Lineage and Honors
156th INFANTRY
(First Louisiana)

Organized 9 and 17 May 1861 as the 2d and 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry
Regiments and mustered into Confederate service at New Orleans.

2d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment surrendered 9 April 1865 at Appomattox,
Virginia, with the Army of Northern Virginia; 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment
disbanded 20 May 1865 at Shreveport, Louisiana.

2d and 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiments reconstituted 30 March 1878 as
the Special Militia Force to include separate companies and battalions outside Orleans Parish;
elements organized 1878-1890 embracing fifteen companies by 1890.

Reorganized in part 26 December 1891 as the 1st and 2d Battalions of Infantry and
transferred to the Louisiana State National Guard.

Battalions consolidated 17 March 1896 to form the 1st Regiment of Infantry with
Headquarters at Baton Rouge.

Mustered into Federal service 8-18 May 1898 at New Orleans as the 1st Louisiana
Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of Federal service 3 October 1898 at Jacksonville, Florida.

Reorganized 8 August 1899 in the Louisiana State National Guard as the 1st Battalion
of Infantry with Headquarters at Monroe.

Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 6 December 1904 as the 1st Regiment of
Infantry with Headquarters at Monroe.

(Louisiana State National Guard redesignated in 1910 as the Louisiana National Guard)

Mustered into Federal service 25-29 June 1916 at Camp Stafford, Louisiana, for
service on the Mexican border; mustered out of Federal service 25 September 1916 at Camp
Stafford, Louisiana.

mustered into Federal service 10 April 1917 at Camp Nicholl, Louisiana; drafted into
Federal service 5 August August 1917 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.

Reorganized and redesignated 27 September 1917 as the 156th Infantry and assigned
to the 39th Division.

Demobilized 23 January 1919 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.

Reorganized June-August 1921 in the the Louisiana National Guard as seven separate
infantry companies.

Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 4 August 1922 as the 156th Infantry, with
headquarters Federally recognized at New Orleans, and assigned to the 39th Division.

Relieved 1 July 1923 from assignment to the 39th Division and assigned to the31st
Division.

(Location of Headquarters changed 22 June 1929 to Lafayette; on 25 February 1937
to Shreveport)

Regiment broken up December 1939-February 1940 and it elements reorganized and
redesignated as follows:
156th Infantry (less 2d Battalion) reorganized in southern Louisiana with a new 2d Battalion; location of headquarters changed 28 March 1940 to Lake Charles.

2d Battalion, 156th Infantry, withdrawn, expanded, converted, and redesignated as the 204th Coast Artillery in northern Louisiana; headquarters Federally recognized 8 February 1940 at Shreveport.
After March 1940 the above units underwent changes as follows:

156th Infantry inducted into Federal service 25 November 1940 at home stations.

Relieved 14 July 1942 from assignment to the 31st Division.

Inactivated 13-22 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

Assigned 28 May 1946 to the 39th Division.

Reorganized and Federally recognized 18 December 1946 with Headquarters at Lafayette.

204th Coat Artillery inducted into Federal service 6 January 1941 at home stations.

Regiment broken up 10 September 1943 and it elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group.

1st Battalion as the 769th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion.

2d Battalion as the 527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion.

(3d Battalion as the 244th Antiaircraft Artillery Searchlight Battalion - hereafter separate lineage)
After 1943 the above units underwent changes as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, inactivated 5 September 1945 at Fort Bliss, Texas.

769th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion reorganized and redesignated 4 January 1945 as the 2d Rocket Artillery Battalion.

Redesignated 12 April 1945 as the 422d Rocket Field Artillery Battalion.

Inactivated 1 January 1946 at Camp Stoneman, California.

527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion inactivated 1 December 1944 at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, 422d Rocket Field Artillery Battalion, and the 527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion consolidated, converted, and redesignated 27 May 1946 to form the 199th Infantry and assigned to the 39th Infantry Division.

Reorganized and Federally recognized 11 December 1946 with Headquarters at Shreveport.

156th Infantry and 199th Infantry (less 3d Battalion) consolidated 1 July 1959 and
consolidated unit reorganized as the 156th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat
Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Battle Groups, elements of the
39th Infantry Division (3d Battalion, 199th Infantry, concurrently converted and redesignated
as the 539th Transportation Battalion - hereafter separate lineage)

156th Infantry reorganized 1 May 1963 to consist of the 1st, 2d, 3d and 4th
Battalions, elements of the 39th Division.

Reorganized 1 December 1967 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements
of the 256th Infantry Brigade.

Reorganized 1 March 1977 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the
256th Infantry Brigade.

(2d and 3d Battalions ordered into active Federal service 30 November 1990 at home
stations; released 2 and 4 May 1991, respectively, from active Federal service and
reverted to state control)

Reorganized 1 July 1991 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the
256th Infantry Brigade, and the 4th Division.

Reorganized 1 February 1993 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the
256th Infantry Brigade.
Campaign Participation Credit

Civil War (Confederate Service)

Peninsula
Second Manassas
Sharpsburg
Frederickburg
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Vicksburg
Wilderness
Spotsylvania
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Shenandoah
Appomattox
Missouri 1861
Virginia 1861
Arkansas 1862
Mississippi 1862
World War I

Streamer without inscription
World War II

Northern France
Central Europe
Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Streamer without inscription

Company A (Breaux Bridge), 2d Battalion, additionally entitled to;
World War II - EAME

Rhineland

Headquarters Company (Lake Charles), 3d Battalion, additionally entitled to;
World War II - EAME

Normandy

Company C (Jennings), 3d Battalion, additionally entitled to;
World War I

Champagne-Marne
Aisne-Marne
St. Mihiel
Meuse-Argonne
Lorraine 1918
Champagne 1918
Decorations

None

 

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY:

JOHN W. MOUNTCASTLE
Brigadier General, United States Army
Chief of Military History