A Brief History of the 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment of the New Jersey National Guard

Abstract

The origin story of the 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry has been lost over time. Whether through poor record keeping or due to the turbulence of the Civil War, the unit, formerly known as the Third New Jersey, is unable to trace its lineage before 1860. It is believed, however, that the battalion, currently stationed in Woodbury, New Jersey, has roots in the Revolutionary War-era New Jersey Militia as well as an auxiliary organization formed by the state during the Civil War, the New Jersey Rifle Corps. The purpose of this paper is to document and substantiate the history of the 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry, from the period of 1860 to the start of World War I. It is possible to do this using open source archives and documents. It is the goal of this author, and of the unit’s commander, to eventually trace the lineage of the 1st of the 114th even further back, to the colonial militia.