The Big Red One: A History of the US 1st Infantry Division

Introduction

The history of the Big Red One dates from July of 1837.

President Martin van Buren was desirous of reforming his army. He would not have been able to weasel enough money out of the Congress to enlarge the army by very much, from its strength of 36,000; Americans have long distrusted the presence of a large standing army, ut he could get money for improvements and he could reorganize it. Accordingly, van Buren and his Secretary of War, Joel Poinsett, assisted by several general staff officers, organized a plan.

The plan that they crafted was rather simple. It's changes are summarized below:
1. Dissolution of the Army's regimental basis, and establishment of a divisional basis.
2. The nationalization of the National Guard units of the several states.
3. The re-organization of the units of the Federal Army and of the National Guard units of the states into a single division, numbering 36,000 men.
4. The procurement of modern weaponry to equip this division.
5. The establishment of a supply corps, to follow and provision this and other divisions, and to ensure that no soldier is wasted carrying food.
5. The establishment of so-called "Paper Divisions," with a peace-time strength of 0, able to be mobilized during war-time to a full-strength of 36,000 men.
6. The establishment of cavalry brigades, nominally part of a division, but not subject to any divisional staffing or other administrative requirements. These units would be spread around the country to proide for frontier defense.

The division created and manned by this plan was originally known as the Infantry Division, to seperate it from the independent cavalry units, but this was a very unpopular name. It was renamed to the 1st Infantry Division, and soldiers, being superstitious people, needed a nickname. Ths they got from the drivers of their supply wagons, who to distinguish themselves from any other supply unit, painted large red '1' numerals on the sides of their wagons. The obvious name, 'Big Red One' stuck, and the unit patch became a shield with a red '1' on it.

Steele

Thanks for the responses, guys.
Allenby: The name dates from mid-1917, when the drivers of the supply trucks (not wagons ) painted a '1' on their vehicles, to let people know what unit they were from. This was begun in England, and carried over the channel to France, where the name was given. And, I hope it becomes that popular.

Coz1: I haven't ever seen that movie. I suppose I ought to, now.

Thanks again. I'll try to update this again today, with a lengthier post, hopefully, but I am somewhat busy, so...

Steele

Sorry about that Flavius Aetius.

The next update should be up by tonight (around 2030 hrs, GMT -900 for those who live elsewhere).

Steele

Chapter 1. Organization and Arms, 1836-1839

A division of 36,000 men doesn't have any strength unless it is organized properly. One of the problems that befell Poinsett was how to organize this massive unit (no other army had divisions of this size) in such a way as to allow it freedom and flexibility for movement, but also to maintain unit cohesion in the face of large-scale opposition. To this end, the Big Red One was composed of three brigades, each with a full strength of 12,000 men, or about the size of the largest divisions in other armies. This large size was designed the unit to be able to operate on it's own against multiple foreign (presumably European) divisions. These three brigades, numbered I, II, and III, each consisted of six regiments of 2,000 men. This, however, is where the division's order of battle began to get complicated.

In I and II Brigades, each regiment was uniform. They consisted of three battalions, each with a combat strength of 650. The remaining 50 soldiers made up the regimental Headquarters platoon. Each battalion had four infantry companies with 130 men, and an attached long platoon of 50 cavalrymen. The final 80 men in each battalion were charged with manning and defending the battalion artillery. Each battalion’s attached artillery consisted of a battery of four 9-pounder muzzle-loading cannon (Figure 1). This artillery gave the infantry support that would be close to their positions in the lines, and easily able to support any offensive or defensive moves they might make.

In the infantry companies, the 130 men were divided into four platoons; the first and third platoons had 33 men, the second and fourth platoons had 32. These platoons were further divided into sections of 11 (the shorter platoons had 1 section of 10). The long platoon of cavalry was divided up into two squadrons of 25. The artillery “company” was likewise broken up into smaller units, 4 ‘guns’ each of 20 men, and obviously, 1 cannon. Besides the actual gun crews, the ‘guns’ included drivers for the limber and caissons, all of whom would be expected to fight if the need arose.

By contrast, III Brigade was different. Five of the brigade’s six regiments were identical to those found in the other units, but the sixth regiment was the divisional artillery arm. There was a headquarters platoon, consisting of 50 men, just like those from the other 17 regiments, and the men themselves were divided into three battalions. Besides an additional long platoon of 50 cavalry, each battalion of artillery had 5 companies of 120, as with the infantry battalions. Each company was essentially a battery of 6 guns, mostly the same 9-pounders, but some were heavier 16-pounders, and there were even a few colossal 36-pounders. The artillery companies themselves were organized the same way as the ones in the infantry battalions, but on a larger scale.

The weapons used by the division were several-fold. The infantry’s standard arm was the newly-designed issued Springfield Model 1838 (Figure 2). This was a modern percussion rifle, using the French-designed Minie ball. A .54 calibre weapon, it was of a smaller bore than the .69 calibre flintlock muskets that had been used previously, but, though it remained a muzzle-loading rifle, its rate of fire was double that of a flintlock (between 4 and 8 rounds per minute), and it was accurate out to a much longer range (between 600 and 800 yards). The cavalry were armed with Model 1837 Colt Revolvers (Figure 3) and Model 1836 Hall Carbines (Figure 4), and sabers (Figure 5), although these were mostly ceremonial. The revolvers and carbines were both rifled, breech-loading weapons, and together, they gave the cavalry arm a large amount of firepower. The Hall, while still a rifled weapon, was not nearly as accurate as the Springfield, and even with its fast rate of fire, was not suitable for infantry combat.

Chapter 1 Figures

Figure 1:

9-pounder Muzzle-loader

Figure 2:

Springfield M1838

Figure 3:

Colt M1837

Figure 4:

1836 Hall Carbine

Figure 5:

A standard-issue US Army sabre.

Sorry for the length and dull-ness of this chapter. I realize it must be dry, I'll hopefully be getting to the good stuff soon. Do you prefer having the images in a seperate post, or would they be better within the text itself?

Coz1: I will look for it. It seems interesting.

Steele

Chapter 2. The First Mexican War, 1839-1841

The early history of the Big Red One can best be described as chaotic. The division had a mere two months of preparation and training time as a single unit before the rump Republic of Texas appealed to the United States for a military alliance. As van Buren was an avid expansionist, and as an alliance with Texas might be the first step towards annexation of Texas, the Dallas Agreement of 1839 brought the two nations together in the spirit of “peace and friendship.” Immediately after the ratification of the treaty (literally: van Buren waited only a matter of minutes after signing the treaty before asking for a declaration of war), the United States became at war with the Republic of Mexico.

While the gears were turning in Washington City, the Big Red One was encamped at a ring of forts north of the city. I Brigade and the divisional staff were at Fort Parker, a mere 3 miles from the outskirts of the city, II Brigade was based at Fort Connaly, and III Brigade was based at Fort Greene. These forts had been newly constructed, partly because the new division needed a home, but more likely because of fear of a repeat of the British invasion of the War of 1812, where Washington City was destroyed.

Because the division would take quite some time to mobilize and begin moving south, the first units sent into Mexico and Texas were the independent cavalry Brigades. These met with some success, but as the units were almost completely devoid of artillery, and most of the men were armed with carbines and musketoons, they were not able to hold much ground against the Mexican Army. The infantry were needed in combat as soon as possible.

In these years before the railroad lines had bound the country together, the fastest way to go from the mid-Atlantic region to the Gulf of Mexico was by ship. Since the Mexican Navy was not an object of concern, the bulk of the US Fleet was to sail for Mexico immediately, leaving only a pair of frigates, the USS Constitution, and the USS Columbia to escort the troop transports. Embarking proved to be a challenge as well, as the process had been poorly organized, and no-one was exactly sure where they were supposed to go, and what they were supposed to do. Luckily for all involved, the commander of I Brigade, Brigadier General Jason Rhodes, was charismatic enough to directly take charge of the loading operation for his brigade. He climbed the mainmast of one of the ships, and bellowing like only a soldier can, managed to solve many a problem. Getting 1/3 of the men out of Norfolk Harbour was enough to ease the difficulties that the other brigades were having, and after a twelve-hour embarkation process, the transport fleet finally cleared Hampton Roads, enroute to Mexico and war.

The voyage was uneventful, though boring for most of the men. The sailors were enough to keep the ships running, so the soldiers were not needed to help there, they had not enough room for marching or drilling, so they spent the bulk of the 1800 mile voyage to New Orleans waiting, something soldiers are never very good at doing. Upon arrival in Louisiana, the men were disembarked by brigades, with two brigades remaining aboard ship while the third would enjoy two days of shore leave. Surprisingly, there were only three desertions during the six days in New Orleans.

When the ships left, their destination was the Mexican port city of Vera Cruz. The plan, aptly named “Operation Vera Cruz,” was that the Division would land there, march inland to seize Mexico City, and then turn north. Meanwhile, the Texans and the US Cavalry forces would move southwards, pinning the Mexicans in the middle, and destroying them. How well this plan would work remained to be seen.

Meltdown1986: Thanks. Now that you mention it, 8 rounds is probably much too much for a muzzle-loader. 4 rounds, however would be 15 seconds per shot, entirely within the realm of possibility, especially considering that a trained marksman with a flintlock weapon could manage a shot every 20 seconds for short periods. 8 rounds, though, probably is too high. Oh well. Write it off to poetic license or something.

The variation would come down to how well drilled a soldier would be. After the Napoleonic times, few armies still used the loading by commands system in pitched battles anymore, and the loading times could vary a lot.

Steele

Allenby said:

Nicely written, Henry! There's a touch of Robert Massie in you, there....

Click to expand...

What every young historian wants to hear!

Thanks, Drew. I'm sure it must seem a bit dry though... I'll have something additional up by tonight, hopefully.

Steele

Chapter 2. The First Mexican War, 1839-1841

As the ships sailed out of New Orleans Harbor, spirits were high. The men had enjoyed their respite, the officers had fully planned out every contingency of the operation, and the ships’ crews had their vessels in perfect condition. Nothing could go wrong; at least not until they reached enemy lines in Mexico proper. Or so they thought at the time.

The US Atlantic Fleet had taken up station in the Gulf of Campeche, waiting for the Mexican fleet to sail from Vera Cruz. Unfortunately, the scouts had missed the Mexican ships stationed to the south in Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula. These two vessels, the 36 gun frigate Vencedor del Alamo and a sloop of war mounting 10 guns, sailed once the transport fleet had left New Orleans. This coincidence has never been explained. Perhaps there was a Mexican spy in New Orleans, perhaps it was just a coincidence. Either way, events had been set in motion.

In the Western Gulf of Mexico, with the transport vessels underway, a lookout on the USS Columbia reported sails on the horizon to the south. The Columbia and the Constitution moved south with full sail, leaving the transport ships unescorted. When the two frigates came within sight of the sails, they were quite surprised. What they thought would be a warship was only a small sloop, with oversized sails on top of a overly tall mast. The sloop, the Margarita quickly surrendered. Questioning the captain revealed that there was a frigate in the area, hunting for the troop transports. After placing a charge on the keel of the sloop and scuttling it, the frigates sped back to the north. They were too late, however.

While the frigates were away chasing the decoy, the real predator had snuck in from the north. She was able to get within two thousand yards of the transport vessel in the van before being noticed, at which point, she fired a broadside into the ship. The effects of this salvo can only be described as murderous. For five minutes, the Vencedor rained fire down on the transport, which itself could not return fire, as it mounted only 4 small 4-pounder cannon, too small to reach the frigate. After blasting away at the helpless vessel, the Mexican frigate decided to close the range; possibly to board.

When the frigate came within a few hundred yards, a small volume of rifle fire came from the now-crippled transport, not causing any damage. Underestimating the numbers, let alone the determination of the Americans not to be taken, the Vencedor closed with the transport, and began to attempt a boarding. This action needs no explanation. One does not board a ship carrying hundreds of men when your own crew numbers less than 150. As the Mexican grapples flew over the railing, the 588 surviving men of the 1st Infantry Division, I Brigade, 2nd Regiment, 1st Battalion charged into their first action with the same high spirits they had left New Orleans with. The frigate’s crew was armed with pistols, cutlasses, and pikes, and they had been expecting to find a merchant crew waiting to surrender. Instead, they found an infantry battalion charging them with fixed bayonets. The “battle” lasted another four minutes, before the captain and his remaining men finally surrendered. They only numbered 37 men when the last of the crew were taken prisoner.

The Mexican frigate was scuttled, and the explosion of her magazine was the first thing that greeted the Constitution and [/i]Columbia[/i] back from their wild-goose chase. The captains and crews of both ships were cussed at repeatedly for the rest of the voyage. But spirits remained higher than ever, especially since they had captured and destroyed an enemy frigate with small arms fire alone.