The Jersey Blues

Some 85 years ago this month. Troops of the 113th U.S. Infantry Regiment (New Jersey National Guard) during the Virginia War Games of early June 1941. Note the very transitional nature of the outfit, with a M1911 (not A1) .45, early M1 Garands (the rifle had just been adopted in 1937), denim work dungarees, and M1917A1 Kelly helmets. One of the men wears a M1910 Haversack Pack, complete with a shovel. The blue denim is actually appropriate to the unit’s history. Organized on 26 October 1775 in the Continental Army as the 1st New Jersey Regiment, the unit fought extensively in the Revolutionary War. The regiment was known as the “Jersey Blues” during the Revolutionary War for their uniforms and has served as a colonial militia dating back to 1673, mixing it up against the French and Native peoples. Illustrations by Theophile Marie Francois Lybaert and Richard Knötel The regiment was recalled to the colors for Federal service against the British (again) in 1814, then called once more on…