The 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment was constituted 1 June 1821 in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

, Florida. As a result of the division of the Artillery Corps into

Coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

and

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

units, the Regiment was broken up 13 February 1901, and its elements reorganized and redesignated as separate numbered companies and batteries of the Artillery Corps.

Early lineage

Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at Pensacola, Florida. The lineages of some of the units that initially made up the 4th U.S. Artillery include campaign credit for the War of 1812. Company F carried the lineage of Alexander Hamilton's

New York Provincial Company of Artillery During the American Revolutionary War, the New York Provincial Company of Artillery was created by the New York Provincial Congress in 1776 to defend New York City from British attack. History Revolution The revolutionary government of the pro ...

from this time until the regiment was broken up on 13 February 1901, with the lineage eventually transferred to the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment. Lieutenant Stephen H. Weed commanded Battery B during the

Utah War The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, the Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion, was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the ...

in 1860, and was killed at Gettysburg in 1863 as an infantry brigade commander. Twelve batteries of the regiment served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Battery B was part of the Union Army's crack

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

. 1st Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson was killed commanding Battery G at Gettysburg and posthumously received brevet promotions to lieutenant colonel. Order of battle information shows that batteries of the regiment deployed outside the U.S. in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

of 1898. However, no battle honors for this war are on the official lineage and honors certificate dated 30 September 1996. Batteries F, G, and H were at the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Captaincy General of Cuba, Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Ar ...

, the latter two comprising the

siege train In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. When focus ...

. Regiment broken up 13 February 1901 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as separate numbered companies and batteries of the

Artillery Corps Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

4th Coast Artillery Regiment

The regiment was reconstituted on 1 July 1924 in the Regular Army as the 4th Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) (Type C). Changes in the regimental organization were as follows: :Activated (less Batteries B, E, and F) 18 August 1924 at

Fort Amador Fort Amador () and Fort Grant were former United States Army bases built to protect the Pacific (southern) end of the Panama Canal at Panama Bay. Amador was the primary on-land site, lying below the Bridge of the Americas. Grant consisted of a s ...

in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

, part of the Harbor Defenses of Balboa on the Pacific side of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. The regiment was organized by redesignating the 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th companies of the

Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an Corps#Administrative corps, administrative corps responsible for coastal defence and fortification, coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft Seacoast defense in the United States, defense of the United ...

(CAC). Batteries C, D, E, G, H, I, and K carried the lineage and designations of the corresponding batteries in the old 4th Artillery.Gaines, p. 6 :(Battery C inactivated 31 July 1926 at Fort Amador, Canal Zone; :Batteries B, C, and F activated 15 April 1932 at Fort Amador, Canal Zone; :Battery E activated 1 February 1938 at Fort Amador, Canal Zone; :Battery O activated 15 March 1940 in the Canal Zone; :Batteries M and N activated 14 October 1940 in the Canal Zone; :Battery L activated 27 January 1941 in the Canal Zone) The Regiment (less Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB)) was disbanded 3 October 1944 in the Canal Zone. Afterwards, the regiment underwent more changes with the HHB, 4th Coast Artillery Regiment, reorganized and redesignated 1 November 1944 as HHB, 4th Coast Artillery Group. The remainder of the regimental assets were used to organize the 4th Coast Artillery Battalion. *Regiment (less HHB) reconstituted 12 October 1944 in the Regular Army, concurrently consolidated with the 4th Coast Artillery Battalion (constituted 3 October 1944 in the

Army of the United States The Army of the United States was one of the four major service components of the United States Army. Today, the Army consists of the Regular Army, the Army National Guard of the United States, the Army National Guard while in the service of the ...

) and consolidated unit designated as the 4th Coast Artillery Battalion; :Activated 1 November 1944 in the Canal Zone :Disbanded (less Batteries A and D) 1 February 1946 in the Canal Zone (Batteries A and D concurrently redesignated as Batteries A and D, Harbor Defenses of Balboa; :inactivated 15 January 1947 and 15 May 1950, respectively, in the Canal Zone) 4th Coast Artillery Battalion (less Batteries A and D) :reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently, battalion and Batteries A and D, Harbor Defenses of Balboa, redesignated as the 4th Coast Artillery Regiment (less Headquarters and Headquarters Battery) *Remainder of the 4th Coast Artillery Regiment reorganized 28 June 1951 as follows: *1st Battalion consolidated with the 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (active) (see below under 3/95th CA (AA)) and consolidated unit designated as the 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion :Redesignated 31 July 1950 as the 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :Inactivated 16 June 1957 in England *2nd Battalion redesignated as the 20th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :Redesignated 13 March 1952 as the 20th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion :Activated 8 May 1952 at Fort Lewis,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

:Redesignated 1 May 1953 as the 20th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :Inactivated 20 December 1957 at Phantom Lake,

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

*3rd Battalion redesignated as the 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :Redesignated 1 April 1951 as the 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion and activated at

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties. The nearby city of Hinesville, along with ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

:Redesignated 3 August 1953 as the 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :Redesignated 22 March 1955 as the 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion :Inactivated 1 September 1958 at

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

, New York

4th Coast Artillery Group and 4th Coast Artillery Battalion

The 4th Coast Artillery Group was redesignated from (probably HHB) 4th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 November 1944 in the Panama Canal Zone, where redesignated as the Harbor Defenses of Balboa on 2 January 1945.Stanton 1991, p. 435 The 4th Coast Artillery Battalion was constituted 3 October 1944 and activated 1 November 1944; in August 1945 Battery C was located at

Seymour Island Seymour Island or Marambio Island, is an island in the chain of 16 major islands around the tip of the Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Graham Land is the closest part of Antarctica to South America. It lies within the section of the isl ...

, Galápagos. The 4th CA Battalion was inactivated (less Batteries A and D) on 1 February 1946. Batteries A and D became the corresponding batteries of the Harbor Defenses of Balboa; Battery A was inactivated on 15 January 1947 and Battery D was inactivated on 15 May 1950.

4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group

HHB, 4th Coast Artillery Regiment was consolidated again on 28 June 1950 with HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group (see below), and designated as the HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, activated 1 September 1951 at

Ladd Air Force Base Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and inactivated 15 January 1958 at Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska. Under the

Combat Arms Regimental System The Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), was the method of assigning unit designations to units of some of the combat arms branches of the United States Army, including Infantry, Special Forces, Field Artillery, and Armor, from 1957 to 1981. A ...

(CARS) the HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group was consolidated and reorganized to include: :4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion; :20th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion; :44th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion

4th Air Defense Artillery

The 4th Field Artillery Battalion (organized in 1907) consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 1 September 1958 as the 4th Artillery, a parent regiment under the

. The 4th Artillery Regiment (less former 4th Field Artillery Battalion) was again reorganized and redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 4th Air Defense Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System (former 4th Field Artillery Battalion concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 4th Field Artillery Regiment – hereafter separate lineage). A battalion of the regiment, the 1st, later redesignated the 4th Missile Battalion (

Nike-Hercules The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range anti-aircraft, air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclea ...

), 4th Artillery, 26th Artillery Group (Air Defense) had its headquarters at

Fort Lawton Fort Lawton was a United States Army Military base, post located in the Magnolia, Seattle, Washington, Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acre ...

, Washington in the 1960s and early 1970s while operating Nike-Hercules missiles as part of the U.S. Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM). The regiment was withdrawn on 13 September 1986 from the

and reorganized under the

United States Army Regimental System The United States Army Regimental System (USARS) is an organizational and classification system used by the United States Army. It was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) to provide each soldier with contin ...

HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group

*Constituted 5 August 1942 in the

as HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Group (or 4th Coast Artillery Group (AA)). *Activated 24 August 1942 at

Camp Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty County, Georgia, Liberty and Bryan County, Georgia, Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans County ...

, Georgia. *Group departed the United States 7 February 1943 for North Africa. *Arrived in North Africa on 21 February 1943, and landed on Sicily during August 1943, and moved on to Italy on 26 October 1943. *Redesignated 1 May 1944 as HHB, 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Group (Searchlight Operations). *Inactivated 9 December 1944 at Barberino, Italy, with assets and personnel reassigned to the 1168th Engineer Combat Group. *Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army.

3/95th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) (Semimobile)

The lineage of the 4th AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion is traced through the 3/95th Coast Artillery Battalion (AA) as follows: *Constituted 13 January 1941 (or 16 December 1940) in the Regular Army as the 95th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft).Gaines, p. 49 *Activated 17 April 1941 at Camp Davis, North Carolina. *Regiment staged at Fort McDowell, California on 21 December 1941. *Regiment deployed to Hawaii from the San Francisco Port of Embarkation on 26 December 1941, and arrived in Hawaii on 7 January 1942. *Regiment reorganized and redesignated 12 December 1943 as follows:Stanton 1991, p. 465 :HHB became HHB 138th AAA Group, thereafter separate lineage. :1/95th CAR became the 93rd AAA Gun Battalion, thereafter separate lineage. :2/95th CAR became the 752nd AAA Gun Battalion, thereafter separate lineage. :3/95th CAR became the 866th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion: *Battalion arrived on the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on 20 October 1944.Stanton 1991, p. 509 *Battalion arrived on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

on 26 April 1945, where it remained into the Occupation period. *Inactivated 30 September 1946 in the Philippine Islands. *Redesignated 13 October 1948 as the 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. *Activated 15 January 1949 at

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

, Texas.

Present day

US Army Paratrooper Jumps with FIM-92 from 34 foot tower

The 3rd Battalion (Air and Missile Defense), 4th Air Defense Artillery is a battalion under the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

. They have transitioned from SHORAD to a mixed Patriot and

Avenger Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sa ...

Battalion. Of note, A Battery, 4th ADAR is a

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in th ...

(THAAD) unit while E Battery, 3rd Battalion, 4th ADAR is the last airborne air defense artillery formation in the U.S. Army. * 1st Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment * 2nd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment * 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment * 4th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment * 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment

Honors

Campaign participation credit

War of 1812: Louisiana 1815 Indian Wars: Creeks; Seminoles; Modocs; Little Big Horn; Nez Perces; Bannocks Mexican War: Palo Alto; Resaca de la Palma; Monterey; Vera Cruz; Cerro Gordo; Contreras; Chapultepec; Tamaulipas 1846 Civil War: Peninsula; Shiloh; Valley; Manassas; Antietam; Fredericksburg; Murfreesborough; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg; Chickamauga; Chattanooga; Wilderness; Spotsylvania; Cold Harbor; Petersburg; Shenandoah; Nashville; Appomattox; Virginia 1861; Virginia 1862; Virginia 1863; Virginia 1864; Virginia 1865; Mississippi 1862 World War II: American Theater, streamer without inscription; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Leyte; Ryukyus Vietnam: *2nd (105 mm howitzers, towed), 5th (155 mm howitzers, self-propelled) and 8th Battalions (175 mm gun, self-propelled), 4th Artillery: *Counteroffensive, Phase II; Counteroffensive, Phase III; Tet Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase IV; Counteroffensive, Phase V; Counteroffensive, Phase VI; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase VII; Consolidation I Armed Forces Expeditions: Grenada Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

*Presidential Unit Citation (Army), streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967 (8th Battalion ess Battery B 4th Artillery, 1973) *Valorous Unit Award, streamer embroidered SAIGON (2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery, 1970) *Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1968–1969 (8th Battalion, 4th Artillery, 1970) *Army Superior Unit Award for 1987 *Valorous Unit Award 1st Battalion 4th ADA 2004 OIF

Coat of arms

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

Gules, two pallets argent, on and over a fess vert between in chief overall five rays beveled counter beveled issuant fanwise blended from base blue through green and yellow to orange and in base a Lorraine Cross or, an escallop of the last charged with a Spanish castle of the first and between two cannon palewise of the second. * Crest On a wreath of the colors, or and gules, a sheaf of twelve arrows argent behind a garb pierced by a fishhook fesswise, hook to sinister and base, or. * Motto Audacia (By Daring Deeds).

Symbolism

* Shield The shield is scarlet for artillery and with the two white stripes, representative of the campaign streamer of the War of 1812, depicts the age of some of the units of the regiment. The green fess refers to Mexican War service, and the two silver cannon allude to those lost without dishonor and regained with glory during that war. The escallop, the emblem of St. James, with the Spanish castle, represents the battle of Santiago, Cuba, in which elements of the regiment participated. The Lorraine Cross signifies the service of a battery of the regiment in Lorraine during World War I. The five rays, indicative of the aurora borealis, denote the service of batteries of the regiment in Alaska. * Crest The garb and fishhook commemorate participation in the battle of Gettysburg in the wheat field, the fishhook being the shape of the federal battle line. The arrows denote the Indian campaigns.

Distinctive unit insignia

The distinctive insignia is an adaptation of the crest and motto of the coat of arms.

Commemorations

A 4th U.S. Artillery Regimental Brass Band exists that depicts the regimental band during the Civil War.

References

Sources

* *
Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, ''Coast Defense Journal'', vol. 23, issue 2
* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:004

004 004, 0O4, O04, OO4 may refer to: * 004, fictional British 00 Agent * 0O4, Corning Municipal Airport (California) * O04, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation * Abdul Haq Wasiq, Guantanamo detainee 004 * Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine * La ...

Military units and formations established in 1971 Military units and formations established in 1821 1971 establishments in the United States 1821 establishments in Florida Territory