116th / 29th the Stonewall brigade-Who was Capt Miller etc.

Howie Rifles
Howie Rifle Shoulder Patch


The Howie Rifles was established in 1945 to perpetuate the ideals, leadership, and courage exemplified by Major Thomas Dry Howie. Major Howie, for many years a member of the SMA Faculty, distinguished himself in the battle of "St. Lo", a major battle during the Normandy Invasion of World War II.



Once residing in the alcove of Kable Hall, the Howie bust pictured above honored the SMA teacher, coach, alumni secretary, and the Commander, U.S. Army 3rd Batallion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. The 116th was the spearhead unit on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Major Howie was mortally wounded on July 17, 1944, while leading an assault on the German-held town of St. Lo in Normandy, France. By every account the National Guardsman died a hero, struck in the back by shrapnel from a mortar while standing to check on his men. Just before his death, he had ordered the attack at Martinsville Ridge which led to the liberation of the City of St. Lo. His challenge to his troops was, "I'll see you in St. Lo!" After he fell, his troops entered the city and placed his flag-draped coffin in the ruins of St. Croix Church, wherefore in his nation's history, he is celebrated as "The Major of St. Lo".

The original Howie bust now resides in the Thomas D. Howie Memorial National Guard Armory in Staunton, home of the 1st Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (Light), which is descended from the historic 116th Infantry Regiment.



Thomas D. Howie Memorial National Guard Armory
and 116th Regimental Museum

The citizens of St. Lo erected a memorial monument as a tribute to the sarifice made by their "Major of St. Lo" and his troops in liberating their city and have incorporated a duplicate copy of the Howie bust.



Major Thomas D. Howie Memorial Monument, St. Lo, France
Photograph courtesy Geoffrey H. Stetson, SMA '69

Cadets were appointed to membership in the Howie Rifles in recognition of their excellent performances in the areas of academic grades, military science, conduct, drill proficiency, and leadership.

This is a copy of the certificate an SMA cadet would receive
upon becoming a member of the Howie Rifles

Staunton Military Academy

This is to Certify that


possessing to a high degree, those soldierly qualities of
outstanding Leadership, worthy Conduct, Military Bearing, and Excellence in
Drill, as exemplified by "The Major of St. Lo,"
has been chosen for membership in


THE HOWIE RIFLES



created to honor Thomas Dry Howie, Major Infantry, United States Army
killed on the field of battle in France, July 1944


Given at Staunton, Virginia, this day of .


SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR SUPERINTENDENT





The following is quoted from an CBS Morning News broadcast from Europe by correspondent Andy Rooney on a V-E Day anniversary. He mentioned no generals or heroes by name, except one -- Thomas Dry Howie, "The Major of St. Lo." In his words: "...Just in case your history books don't mention it, let me tell you what happened July 18, here at St. Lo. We broke through the German lines finally when we took their little city. Up until that point, we couldn't get any of our men off the beaches. It was sort of sad, though, because we ruined this little town of St. Lo. We had to do it to get the Germans out. More American soldiers were killed here taking St. Lo, than were killed on the beaches. A major named Tom Howie was the leader of the battalion that actually captured St. Lo. At least he was the leader of it until he was killed just outside town. After he died, his men picked him up and carried him into town and put him on a pile of stones that used to be the wall of this church. I guess there never was an American soldier who was more honored by what the people who loved him did for him after he died."

Thomas Dry Howie was from Abbeville, South Carolina. He attended the Citadel and graduated near the top of his class in 1929. Following graduation from the Citadel, Howie came to SMA where he was a brilliant teacher, particularly in English, which had been his major at the Citadel. He headed the Athletic Department and in the eight years he was head football coach, his teams won four military school state championships. He Left SMA when his Virginia National Guard unit was called up in 1941. Of course, there would be no return.

It is believed that historian Stephen Ambrose, author of the acclaimed book, "Citizen Soldier," and consultant on the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," based the character of the Captain, played by Tom Hanks, on Thomas Howie. The Ranger Unit to which the Captain was attached landed at Omaha Beach, where Howie's Battalion landed. The Captain in the movie had the same paternal nature with his men as had been attributed to Howie. Also, on point was the Captain's revelation to his men that he had coached and taught English in high school for 11 years before going to war.



You know, the 'spearhead ' of the breakout..


BTW, remeber the character Jackson from 'Saving Private Ryan'..

Well he really did exist, another local, my dad used to play golf with him, a neightbor.

The was the most decorated man at Normandy.

 

Sgt Slaughter

A Ranger for a while in the 'Blue and Gray'
April 2003
By Retired Chief Warrant Officer John W. Listman, Jr.

John Robert "Bob" Slaughter was born and raised in Roanoke, Va. On his 16th birthday he enlisted in Company D, 116th Infantry, part of the 29th "Blue and Gray" Division. Mobilized with the 29th in February 1941, he deployed with it when it sailed to Britain in 1942. Corp. Slaughter was among the first to volunteer for the ranger battalion when it was organized in December 1942.

Assigned to Company B he spent most of his days for the next 11 months training in camps in Scotland and England. As part of this rigorous training, he recalls how he lost about 30 pounds in 10 days through 25-mile-a-day forced marches and subsisting only on K-rations, which were composed mostly cheese, crackers and candy.

One of his fondest memories was during his first pass to London after receiving his "29th Ranger" patch and paratrooper boots.

While sitting in a lounge he was approached by a corporal from the 101st Airborne Division who asked "Are you in the troopers?" When Slaughter said no, he was a 29th Ranger, the corporal shouted, "Take those goddamned boots off!" At 6-feet, 5-inches tall and 212 pounds, Slaughter was both taller and heavier than his antagonist.

Slaughter continued: "In a calm but firm voice I replied, 'Why don't you take them off of me?' Though he appeared ready to lunge for me, two of his buddies pulled him away. I sure was feeling proud and cocky after that."

Like the rest of the 29th Rangers Slaughter returned to his previous unit, Company D, 116th Infantry, which landed in the middle of death and destruction on Omaha Beach in the early morning hours of D-Day. He stayed with Company D unit the end of the war, suffering two wounds, neither of which was serious enough to ship him home.

Slaughter didn't return to the Guard after the war. But he continued to serve in perhaps a more important capacity. By the 1980s, he became aware that many people, especially children, had little or no idea of the cost and sacrifices he and his comrades paid for preserving freedom. He became the guiding force of a group of 29th Division veterans who spent years of their personal time to secure the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va.

Now and forever, the record of what those men did is available for all to learn and reflect upon. No soldier has ever left a more fitting legacy.

 

The 29th Ranger Battalion

Among American planners the need to provide some combat experience to the American soldiers designated for OVERLORD remained a significant concern throughout the long planning process. Although Marshall had envisioned raids as a means of providing that experience, the departure of the 1st Ranger Battalion for the Mediterranean in October 1942 had left the British Combined Operations Headquarters without an American commando unit for its raiding program. To replace that unit, the U.S. European Theater of Operations (ETO) activated another provisional Ranger formation in December 1942. Designated the 29th Ranger Battalion, the new unit consisted of a tiny cadre from Darby's original group and volunteers from the 29th Infantry Division, an inexperienced National Guard formation from Maryland and Virginia. Under the leadership of Maj. Randolph Milholland, a Maryland National Guardsman who had attended the British General Headquarters Battle School, the volunteers trained for five weeks at Achnacarry. In joint exercises with commandos they impressed the British with their performance in amphibious landings, cliff scaling, and a few practice raids.

Through the summer and fall of 1943 the 29th Ranger Battalion joined the British commandos in a series of raids on the Norwegian and French coasts. The first, an attempt to destroy a bridge over a fjord, ended in failure when the Norwegian guide dropped the magazine for his submachine gun on a concrete quay, alerting the German guards. The Rangers met with more success in their second mission, a three-day reconnaissance of a harbor, but a third foray to the Norwegian coast proved abortive when they found that their objective, a German command post, had been abandoned. After more amphibious training during the summer of 1943, the entire battalion landed on the Ile d'Ouessant, a small island off the Atlantic coast of Brittany, and destroyed a German radar installation. As the raiders departed, they left Milholland's helmet and cartridge belt on the beach as calling cards. Despite the battalion's success, the European theater, in line with the original concept, deactivated the unit on 15 October and returned its members to the 29th Division.

The 2d and 5th Ranger Battalions

By the time of the 29th Ranger Battalion's deactivation, the European Theater of Operations had determined that it would need more permanent Ranger-type units to spearhead the cross-channel invasion. At first, the activation of such formations found little support in the Regular Army. Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, the crusty chief of Army Ground Forces and the man most responsible for building and training the Army, preferred versatile standard units to specialized formations for special jobs. Permanent Ranger units, he feared, would constantly seek unprofitable secondary missions to justify their existence, absorb too many of the Army's better junior combat leaders, and cause a host of administrative problems. Marshall, however, deferred to the judgment of his field commanders and in March 1943 ordered the formation of at least one Ranger battalion to replace the 29th.4

During the early spring of 1943 volunteers from units throughout the continental United States assembled among the dusty streets, long white barracks, and green pyramidal tents of Camp Forrest, Tennessee, to form the 2d Ranger Battalion. Many had heard of the exploits of Darby's Rangers and were eager to belong to a similar unit; others simply wanted to move overseas more quickly. All generally possessed above average physical and mental ability. Some had served with the 1st Ranger Battalion, while others had attended Ranger-type training programs in the United States. The battalion also received a number of recruits who were too old for Ranger duty and a few eccentrics. All came under the command of Maj. James Earl Rudder on 30 June. Rudder, a genial former football coach from Texas, proved a popular leader, hosting monthly "gripe" sessions with his troops and improving their food and quarters. For all his affability, he insisted on high standards in the unit.

Through 1943 and early 1944 Rudder pushed his men through an intensive training program, focusing on amphibious assaults and infantry fighting. At Camp Forrest the training combined physical conditioning with basic infantry tactics and fieldcraft. The marches, log-lifting drills, and obstacle courses helped to weed out those lacking in strength and stamina. In early September the battalion attended the Scout and Raiders School at Fort Pierce, Florida. Camped on an insect-infested island, the Rangers practiced small-scale amphibious raids with rubber boats and similar craft. From Fort Pierce they moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for training in advanced tactics. After arriving in Great Britain in early December the Rangers worked on cliff climbing, weapons training, navigation, and night maneuvers. Meanwhile, Rudder and his staff officers, in consultation with Combined Operations Headquarters, laid plans for a pair of raids against German installations near Calais and on the Isle of Herm. Rough weather forced cancellation of the two missions, but individual Rangers later accompanied British commandos on several similar operations.

Meanwhile, in response to ETO's need for a stronger assault force for OVERLORD, Army Ground Forces formed the 5th Ranger Battalion in September 1943. Since the European theater command wanted the battalion in Great Britain by the end of the year, the training of the new unit was rushed. After initial physical conditioning and combat training at Camp Forrest, the 5th moved to Fort Pierce in November for two weeks of amphibious training, and then proceeded to Fort Dix for more speed marches and five-day tactical problems at the company and battalion levels. Following their arrival in Great Britain in January, the Rangers moved north to Scotland for amphibious training specifically tailored to match the Normandy coastline.

 

In January, as the two battalions trained along the coasts of Britain, Rudder and Maj. Max F. Schneider, the commander of the 5th Ranger Battalion, arrived in London to receive their mission for D-day from Col. Truman Thorson, operations officer of Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's U.S. First Army. Four miles west of OMAHA Beach, the main American landing area, was Pointe du Hoe, a peninsula of steep, rocky cliffs jutting out into the Channel. There the Germans had emplaced a battery of six 155-mm. guns which dominated the invasion beaches. Destruction of the battery was critical to the success of the invasion. Although planners had provided for naval and air bombardments of the Pointe, a direct infantry assault was the only certain way of neutralizing the fortification. To reach the position by sea, the attackers would first have to land on a narrow shoreline and then scale an 83- to 100-foot cliff. One intelligence officer remarked, "It can't be done. Three old women with brooms could keep the Rangers from climbing that cliff." Although initially stunned by the magnitude of the task, Rudder and Schneider stepped up their training program, focusing on cliff climbing and amphibious tactics as the date of the assault drew near.

The intense training of the Rangers paid off. Early on the morning of 6 June 1944, the first assault wave of Rangers, consisting of three companies of the 2d Battalion under Rudder's personal leadership, pounded through heavy Channel seas toward the Normandy coast. After a course error that put them about thirty-five minutes behind schedule, Rudder's force finally landed at 0710. Covered by naval gunfire, the Rangers used ropes fired by rockets to scramble up the cliff. The incredulous German defenders kept up a withering fire, cut the ropes, and tossed grenades down the slope, but within ten minutes of the landing the first Rangers had reached the top and secured a precarious foothold. As more soldiers reached the summit, Rudder expanded his perimeter and began sweeping the area. One patrol quickly found and destroyed the guns, which the Germans had hidden for protection during the bombardment. The cost had been heavy. Of the 230 Rangers who had made the assault, only 70 remained by the late afternoon of 6 June. Lacking men, supplies, and ammunition, the remainder grimly prepared to hold out against enemy counterattacks.


Photo: Route used by Rangers to get to the top of Pointe du Hoc

To the east the 5th Ranger Battalion and the remaining companies of the 2d had joined the 29th Infantry Division's assault on OMAHA Beach (Map 4). Heavy German fire raked the beachhead, pinning the Rangers and troops of the 29th behind a seawall. At this point, according to legend, Brig. Gen. Norman D. Cota, the assistant division commander of the 29th, roared, "We have to get the hell off this beach. Rangers, lead the way!" Whether under Cota's inspiration or not, small parties of Rangers and infantry scrambled over the seawall and, under cover of the rising smoke, carried the heights. After linking up with another Ranger company that had seized Pointe de la Percee, Schneider's force finally relieved Rudder's battered contingent on 8 June.

Having accomplished the task that had been the basis for their creation, the two Ranger battalions spent much of the rest of the war in search of a purpose, performing few missions which line infantry could not have handled. Both battalions had lost heavily on D-day, and Rudder, as senior battalion commander, unsuccessfully petitioned for their return to Great Britain for reorganization and the training of replacements. Instead, the Rangers trained their new personnel as adequately as possible while guarding prisoner cages and acting as a reserve against a German attack from the Channel Islands. In August the two battalions supported the campaign in Brittany, securing the flanks of the American advance, filling gaps in the line, and assaulting minor strongpoints. In the assault on the forts and pillboxes surrounding Brest a four-man patrol from the 2d Ranger Battalion infiltrated the Lochrist Battery and forced the German commander to surrender the position. After a two-month respite following the fall of Brest on 18 September, the 2d Ranger Battalion joined the bitter struggle to clear the Huertgen Forest. Holding a defensive position in the snow and mud, a role ill suited to their organization as a light assault force, the Rangers suffered heavily from enemy artillery and exposure.

When Rudder complained to higher headquarters about the misuse of his Rangers, he received orders to move the battalion to the outskirts of Bergstein and assault Hill 400, also known as Castle Hill. Troops and tanks of the 5th Armored Division clung to a tenuous position in Bergstein under heavy fire directed from the hill, which commanded the village and surrounding region. After a Ranger patrol reconnoitered the height in the predawn darkness of 7 December, one company took position to provide fire support, while two others charged up the slope. Catching the Germans by surprise, the Rangers seized control of the crest and captured twenty-eight prisoners with only light losses. Almost immediately, however, they were hit by enemy shellfire and two counterattacks. By late afternoon only twenty-five Rangers remained on top of the hill. Reinforced by a platoon and supported by artillery fire, they managed to hold until a battalion relieved them on the evening of 8 December. In the end, the battle for Bergstein cost the 2d Ranger Battalion over half its strength, most of which was expended in defense of the hill.

 

George Washingtons own 1st Virginia Infantry..


Mustering out of VMI, founded by a memeber of a fine Virginia military (Patton)


Infantry Regiment
(Stonewall Brigade)
Lineage and Honors





Organized 3 November 1741 in the Virginia Militia as the Augusta County Regiment with Headquarters at
Beverley's Mill Place (later named Staunton).

Elements of the Augusta County Regiment called into active service at various times during the French and Indian
War and Dunsmore's War and provided the following elements of the Virginia provincial forces:

Captain Andrew Lewis' Company, Virginia Regiment (organized 18 March 1754)
Captains William Preston's, David Lewis', and John Smith's Companies of Rangers (organized 11-25 August
1755)

Augusta County Regiment or its elements called into active service at various times during the Revolutionary War
and provided the following elements of the Continental Army:

Captain William Fontaines's Company, 2d Virginia Regiment (organized 21 October 1775)
Captain John Hayse's Company, 9th Virginia Regiment (organized 16 March 1776)
Captain David Stephenson's Company, 8th Virginia Regiment (German Regiment) (organized 25 March
1776)
Captains David Laird's and John Symes' Companies, 10th Virginia Regiment (organized 3 December 1776)

Augusta County Regiment expanded 31 December 1792 to form the 32d and 93d Regiments

Elements of the 32d and 93d Regiments mustered into Federal service at various times during the War of 1812

32d and 93d Regiments expanded about 1839 to form the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments

Elements of the 32d and 160th Regiments mustered into Federal service 6 January 1847 at Richmond as the Light
Infantry Company, 1st Regiment, Virginia Volunteers (also known as the Augusta Volunteers); mustered out of
Federal service 27 July 1848 at Fort Monroe, Virginia

Augusta County volunteer infantry companies of the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments reorganized and redesignated
13 April 1861 as the 5th Regiment, Virginia Volunteers; mustered into Confederate service 1 July 1861 as the 5th
Virginia Infantry, an element of the 1st Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah (later designated as the Stonewall
Brigade) (organized 1 June - 15 July 1861 to consist of the 2d, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33d Virginia Infantry (organized
from volunteer companies in the Shenandoah Valley))

Remainder of the 32d, 93d, and 160th Regiments, Virginia Militia, mustered into Confederate service 1 May 1862
as the 52d Virginia Infantry

Stonewall Brigade and the 52d Virginia Infantry surrendered 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House with the
Army of Northern Virginia

Former elements of the Stonewall Brigade and the 52d Virginia Infantry reorganized 1871-1881 in the Virginia
Volunteers as separate infantry companies in the Shenandoah Valley

Reorganized 2 May 1881 as the 2d Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Staunton

(Location of Headquarters changed 22 April 1886 to Harrisonburg)

Regiment disbanded 2 April 1887 and its elements reorganized as separate infantry companies

Reorganized 20 April 1889 in the Virginia Volunteers as the 2d Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at
Winchester

(Location of Headquarters changed 15 June 1893 to Woodstock)

Consolidated with elements of the 1st Regiment of Infantry (organized in 1851) and mustered into Federal service
10-21 May 1898 as the 2d Virginia Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of Federal service 13-20 December 1898 at
home stations

Disbanded 29 April 1899

Elements of the former 2d Regiment of Infantry reorganized 1899-1902 in the Virginia Volunteers as separate
infantry companies in western Virginia

Consolidated 19 May 1905 with elements of the former 3d Regiment of Infantry (see ANNEX); consolidated unit
reorganized as the 72d Infantry with Headquarters at Luray

Redesignated 1 September 1908 as the 2d Infantry

(Virginia Volunteers redesignated 3 June 1916 as the Virginia National Guard)

Called into Federal service 30 June 1916 at Camp Stuart, Virginia; mustered out of Federal service 28 February
1917 at Richmond

 

Called into Federal service 25 March 1917 and mustered in 25 March - 3 April 1917 at home stations

Drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917

Consolidated 4 October 1917 with the 1st Infantry (organized in 1851) and the 4th Infantry (organized in 1882);
consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as the 116th Infantry and assigned to the 29th Division

Demobilized 30 May 1919 at Camp Lee, Virginia

Former elements in western Virginia reorganized 12 October 1921 in the Virginia National Guard as the 2d
Infantry

Redesigned 9 March 1922 as the 116th Infantry and assigned to the 29th Division (later redesignated as the 29th
Infantry Division); Headquarters Federally recognized 3 April 1922 at Staunton

(Location of Headquarters changed 26 June 1933 to Lynchburg)

Inducted into Federal service 3 February 1941 at home stations

Inactivated 6 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey

Reorganized and Federally recognized 24 March 1948 with Headquarters at Staunton

Reorganized 1 June 1959 as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System to consist of the 1st
and 2d Battle Groups, elements of the 29th Infantry Division

Reorganized 22 March 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions, elements of the 29th Infantry Division

Reorganized 1 February 1968 to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 28th Infantry Division

Reorganized 1 April 1975 to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 116th Infantry Brigade

ANNEX

Organized 13 June 1881 in the Virginia Volunteers from existing companies in central Virginia as the 3d Regiment
of Infantry with Headquarters at Charlottesville

(Location of Headquarters changed 15 November 1888 to Culpepper; on 12 March 1898 to Warrenton)

Mustered into Federal service 13-26 May 1898 at Richmond as the 3d Virginia Volunteer Infantry; mustered out
of Federal service 5 November 1898 at Richmond

Disbanded 29 April 1899

Elements of the former 3d Regiment of Infantry reorganized 1899-1902 in the Virginia Volunteers as separate
infantry companies in central Virginia



CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT

116th INFANTRY

Revolutionary War

Brandywine
Germantown
Monmouth
Charleston
Cowpens
Guilford Court House
Yorktown
Virginia 1775
Virginia 1776
Virginia 1781
South Carolina 1781
North Carolina 1781

War of 1812

Maryland 1814

Civil War (Confederate service)

First Manassas
Peninsula
Valley
Second Manassas
Sharpsburg
Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Wilderness
Spotsylvania
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Appomattox
Virginia 1861
Virginia 1862
Virginia 1863
Virginia 1864
Maryland 1864

World War I

Meuse-Argonne
Alsace 1918

World War II

Normandy (with arrowhead)
Northern France
Rhineland
Central Europe

Headquarters Company (Lynchburg Home Guard), 2d Battalion, additionally entitled to:

Civil War (Confederate service)

North Carolina 1863
North Carolina 1864

World War I

Champagne-Marne
Aisne-Marne
St. Mihiel
Lorraine 1918
Champagne 1918

Company A (Monticello Guard, Charlottesville) and Support Company (Farmville Guard), 2d
Battalion, each additionally entitled to:

Civil War (Confederate service)

North Carolina 1863

Companies A and B (Alexandria Light Infantry, Manassas), 3d Battalion, each additionally
entitled to:

Civil War (Confederate service)

Tennessee 1863

DECORATIONS

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered NORMANDY

French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered BEACHES OF NORMANDY

Headquarters Company (Roanoke) and Company A (Bedford), 1st Battalion, and Headquarters Company
(Lynchburg Home Guard), 2d Battalion, each additionally entitled to:

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered VIRE

French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, Streamer embroidered VIRE



BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY:

Donald J. Delandro
Brigadier General, USA
The Adjutant General

original document dated 29 April 1985


ADDITIONAL AWARDS FROM THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
original document dated 28 September 1956 from Virginia Governor Thomas B. Stanley
to Colonel Archibald A. Sproul of the 116th Infantry Regiment authorizing Six Battle
Streamers as follows:

First Indian War in Augusta County, 1742-1744

Second Indian War in Augusta County, 1753-1755

Third Indian War, 1763-1764

Dunmore's War, 1774

Frontier Duty, 1742-1775--1776-1783

 

1742 when Colonel James Patton organized the Augusta County Regiment of Militia. This Militia protected settlers against Indians and later the French, during the period prior to 1775. During the Revolutionary War, the battalion fought under General Andrew Lewis who was the commander of the 2nd Virginia Regiment.

The geographical area covered by the 1st Brigade furnished several regiments which formed in 1861 as the First Virginia Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah, Confederate States Army, commanded by Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson. It was at the first battle of Manassas, 21 JUL 1861, that the brigade won the illustrious nickname "The Stonewall Brigade".


http://www.staunton.com/116th/

 

Four Ranger Companies of 2 Platoons each.

Several hundred of these trained Rangers were returned to
the 29th upon the disbanding of the battalion, greatly adding
to the combat proficiency of the Division.

Attached Units:

Infantry: 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion (7 June 44- 10 June 44)
5th Ranger Infantry Battalion (7 June 44- 10 June 44)

Each of six Ranger Companies of HQ and 2 Platoons each.




http://www.spearhead1944.com/amerpg/amer29.htm

 

It is believed that historian Stephen Ambrose, author of the acclaimed book, "Citizen Soldier," and consultant on the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," based the character of the Captain, played by Tom Hanks, on Thomas Howie. The Ranger Unit to which the Captain was attached landed at Omaha Beach, where Howie's Battalion landed. The Captain in the movie had the same paternal nature with his men as had been attributed to Howie. Also, on point was the Captain's revelation to his men that he had coached and taught English in high school for 11 years before going to war.

Did this somehow get missed?

 

No, I saw it. Thanks, this is very interesting information.

I think people haven't reacted to this thread yet since all they will be able to say is "thanks, this is very interesting information".

 

Gen. Jacksons aide de camp (actually asst. Adjutant General who functioned as Jackson's Chief of Staff for all practical purposes) was a relative of mine, Lt. Col. (rank at his death sept. 22 1863) Alexander Swift "Sandie" Pendleton. He was the son of Brig. Gen. William Nelson Pendleton who was Lee's Chief of Artillery (nominally..actually he functioned as a staff officer to Lee mostly). Incidentally he was also an Episcopal Minister who was Lee's Pastor after the war.

None of this is important particularly just thought I'd mention my families close connection with the Stonewall Brigade as well as the Rockbridge Artillery of Lexington Virginia.