16th Infantry Regiment - Established in 2020
About the Regiment
The 16th Infantry Regiment (16th IR) is a virtual realism unit based in the game Hell Let Loose, available on Steam, however we are expanding into Battle Cry of Freedom (BCoF). The entire platoon also meets once per week where several squads have the opportunity to play and coordinate together. When members are not attending platoon drills, they are free to be on the 16th IR BCoF server, playing with the public, or socializing playing other games.
As BCoF continues its developmental journey, and as the 16th IR continues to grow in members, our ambitions grow. It is our goal to eventually allow us to participate in scrimmages against other realism units. If becoming a member of our regiment sounds interesting to you, consider visiting our forums, discord, and public server, we always have a place for you here.
Real History of the 16th Infantry Regiment in the Civil War
In the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, Omaha Beach at Normandy, Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq and a host of deadly places in between, the 16th Infantry Regiment has established a record of service and sacrifice matched by few units of the U.S. Army.
For six or more generations, the foot soldiers of the 16th Infantry have distinguished themselves in the hard service of the common infantryman, fighting for ground often yard by yard while enduring the most punishing hardships conceived by man and nature.
The regiment came into being in the shock of the Confederate bombardment and occupation of Fort Sumter. On May 3, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the creation of eight Federal regiments of infantry, one which became the 11th U.S. Infantry – today’s 16th Infantry Regiment.
The 11th U.S. Infantry fought at most of the war’s major Eastern Theater battles, including Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the siege of Petersburg.
The unit was one of the first to enter action at Chancellorsville. On May 1, 1863, the men of the 11th U.S. Infantry engaged Confederate forces along the Orange Turnpike. The short, but fierce battle, cost the unit 28 officers and men. On the 150th anniversary of the battle, a monument to the unit was dedicated by the 16th Infantry Regiment Association, on land at Chancellorsville that was preserved by the Civil War Trust, as a lasting tribute to their fallen comrades.
The National Color of the 1st Battalion, 11th US Infantry. This was the first set of colors under which the regiment fought. The colors were carried in every major battle of the Army of the Potomac including Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the siege of Petersburg.
At Gettysburg, the regiment marched out from the north face of Little Round Top on the battle’s second day to clash with Confederate Gen. James Longstreet’s attacking forces between Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield. The unit lost about half its men in the process. One witness lamented, “For two years the U.S. Regulars taught us how to be soldiers. In the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, they taught us how to die like soldiers.”
The first three of 11 Medals of Honor awarded to the regiment’s soldiers were from Civil War battles. Among the awardees was 1st Lt. John H. Patterson, cited for his bravery in the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, when he darted out under heavy fire to drag to safety a wounded officer who was in danger of being burned alive by the forest fire that consumed many other helplessly wounded men.
During the Army reorganization of 1869, a portion of the 11th United States Infantry was redesignated the 16th United States Infantry.
How to Enlist
If enlisting in the 16th Infantry Regiment sounds right for you, you can visit us at
www.16thir.org and put in an application at
www.16thir.org/enlist. You can also join our discord at discord.gg/16th and come and talk to us!
Hope to see you on the battlefield!
Semper Paratus
