The 147th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) is a training regiment of the Ohio Army National Guard. Previously known as the 147th Infantry Regiment and the 6th Ohio Infantry, it has served in several American wars as a combat infantry unit, but now maintains the Ohio Regional Training Institute (RTI) in Columbus, Ohio. Its regimental motto is Cargoneek Guyoxim, which is a Chippewa language phrase meaning "Always Ready." The lineage of the regiment is carried by the 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.
History
The 147th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), previously known as the 6th Ohio Infantry, served in the Civil War, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, and World War II.
Civil War
The 6th Ohio was organized in southwestern Ohio in the spring of 1861 and was mustered into Federal service on 12 May. Most of its recruits were from Hamilton County and surrounding areas. The Colonel and first commander was William K. Bosley, and Nicholas Longworth Anderson of Cincinnati was its first Lieutenant Colonel. Anderson did serve as the COL of the regiment during its last two years of service. The 6th was first sent to western Virginia before mustering out when its initial three-months term of enlistment expired. Reorganized as a three-years regiment, the 6th Ohio Infantry spent the next three years in the Western Theater before being mustered out on 23 June 1864. While serving, the regiment engaged in several skirmishes and two major campaigns; Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga. Towards the end of their service, they fought in Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Atlanta Campaign.
Cuba, Mexico, and World War I
The 6th Ohio Infantry was mustered into federal service on 7 May 1898 to fight in the Spanish–American War. The Ohioans never engaged in combat with the enemy, but served in the occupation force of Cuba from 3 January – 21 April 1899. They returned to the United States and were mustered out in Cincinnati on 25 October 1899. On 19 June 1916, the Ohioans were mobilized to defend the Mexico–United States border near El Paso, Texas, where they patrolled for 9 months. They were released from federal service on 17 March 1917. This demobilization wouldn't last however, and the regiment, commanded by William Vance McMaken, was called up again 10 days later for service in World War I on 27 March 1917. The 147th Infantry Regiment was born on 25 October 1917, when the 6th Ohio absorbed elements of the 1st and 5th Ohio Regiments. It was assigned to the 37th Infantry Division, the "Buckeye" Division, and began its training at Camp Sheridan, just outside of Montgomery, Alabama. On 22 June 1918, the 74th Brigade (includes the 147th and 148th Infantry Regiments), departed from Newport News, Virginia, and arrived in France on 5 July.
After training in the Bourmont sector behind the frontline, the 147th relieved elements of the 77th Infantry Division in the Baccarat sector on 2 August 1918. This was a quiet sector, and the regiment continued to train under the tutelage of the French VI Corps. The 147th Infantry remained in the frontlines until 14 September 1918, when the 14th French Division relieved them. In the Meuse-Argonne, the 147th acted as a reserve for the 79th Infantry Division in the Avocourt sector, as a part of the US V Corps. The 37th and adjacent 79th Infantry Divisions advanced on heavy German positions and continued to push the enemy back. On 1 October, the units of the 37th Division were relieved by the 32d Infantry Division, and the 147th Infantry was relieved by elements of the 2d Infantry Division. The 147th was soon transferred to IV Corps control, where they relieved a regiment of the 89th Infantry Division on the frontline on 3 October, and remained until 11 October.
Following this assignment, the 147th traveled with the 37th Division to Hooglede, near Ypres, and took part in the Ypres-Lys starting on 31 October. Continuous advance against heavy enemy fire characterized this assault. The men of the regiment swam across the Boche River on 2 November in the face of enemy fire, and prepared to cross the Scheldt. After fighting day and night, they crossed the Scheldt, and consolidated positions on the far bank. They were relieved on the night of 4–5 November and enjoyed some rest in the town of Thielt. On 8 November they were back in the fighting, and continued to advance until the last minute. The Armistice of 11 November 1918 brought the fighting to an end, and the 147th camped at Le Mans, France until they returned home to Ohio on 19 April 1919. They were demobilized from federal service that same day.
