The Sixth Regiment of United States Infantry
The
Regulars
The Sixth Regiment of United States Infantry got their start in January 1812 as the 11th Infantry when Congress authorized the strengthening of the Army in preparation for the pending hostilities with Great Britain. Their nickname, "Regulars," came during the War of 1812 from the Battle of Chippewa on 5 July 1814. The uniform of the Infantry was normally blue, however, due to shortages of blue cloth the troops under the command of General Winfield Scott were issued short jackets of gray cloth which they wore into the battle. At first , the British mistook the regulars for militia. But when Scott's brigade of regiments courageously advanced without wavering through a hail of artillery and musket fire, the British commander Major General Phineas Riall realized his mistake and cried, "Those are Regulars, By God!." The regiment steadfastly held the flank and line which earned the regiment's first battle streamer 'Chippewa' and have to this day been Regulars.
Following the War, during the downsizing of the Army, the 11th Infantry was consolidated with four other regiments. The new regiment was given the designation of '6' based on the commanding officer, Colonel Henry Atkinson, who was the sixth ranking colonel in the Army.
Today, volunteers recreate the Regulars of the Sixth from the War of 1812 through the 1820s. We portray the light and artillery companies, Company A and Company G. Our unit and organization prides itself not only on attention to historic authenticity but to developing and maintaining a high esprit de corps among its members. The Sixth along with our sister unit of Company I of the Rifle Regiment is a family. Each member dedicates him or herself to looking out for the other.
We portray the soldiers of the frontier post Fort Atkinson in the 1820s at our regularly scheduled living history days. Like and with our sister unit of the Rifles, and together our family of recreated units, we attend War of 1812 through the 1820s living history events, or reenactments if you will. To see a list of events and those that we will be attending this year, click on the events link.
We hope you enjoy your tour through the Fort Atkinson Online site. If you would like to inquire about joining our organization, please contact us by using the contact link on most pages on this web site. Thank you for your interest.
The Fighting Sixth - Regulars,
By God!
The current 6th Infantry Crest
To see information on other events that we will be attending this year, click here.
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Updated: January 12, 2002.
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