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Suwannee Rifles

April 11, 2024

The 868th Engineer Company "Suwannee Rifles" is a unit of the Florida Army National Guard, stationed in Live Oak, Florida. The company has one of the oldest continuous lineages in the Florida National Guard, starting out as an independent company of infantry in 1884.[1] During its first 71 years, the Suwannee Rifles served as an infantry company and deployed as Company E, 124th Infantry during World War II. After WWII the unit reorganized again as infantry, then as an armor company for thirteen years, and since December 1968 the Suwannee Rifles has been an engineer company.

868th Engineer Company
Active1884-
Accepted into Florida State Troops 1891
CountryUnited States
Allegiance United States
BranchFlorida Army National Guard
TypeEngineer (formerly Infantry and Armor)
SizeCompany
Garrison/HQLive Oak, Florida
Nickname(s)"Suwannee Rifles"
EngagementsWorld War II
Gulf War
Iraq War
Company E, 124th Infantry on break from training.

Founding and Spanish–American War Service edit

The Suwannee Rifles were established in 1884 in Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida.[2] In 1891, the Suwannee Rifles were organized in the Florida State Troops and designated Company D, 3rd Battalion of Infantry in 1892. In early 1893, L.K. Kemmerlin is listed as a lieutenant in the company. Kemmerlin was promoted to captain on 25 November 1893 and commanded the company. William L. Tedder and J. W. Price were appointed First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant, respectively, on 27 August 1894. The unit attended Camp Dunn, Ocala in 1893 and camp at Pensacola in 1894. In 1895 the Suwannee Rifles were reorganized in the Florida State Troops as Company A, 4th Battalion. In June 1896 Captain George E. Porter assumed command while William Tedder continued as First Lieutenant. L. K. Kemmerlin was reappointed as a Second Lieutenant one year later on 27 June 1897. The Suwannee Rifles did their summer training at Camp Bloxham, Jacksonville in 1896 and then Camp Henderson, Tallahassee in 1897.

At the start of the war with Spain, the twenty companies of the Florida State Troops were ordered to Tampa. The Suwannee Rifles left Live Oak on 12 May 1898 under command of Captain William L. Tedder with 1LT L. K. Kemmerlin, 2LT Willie H. Lyle, and 2LT Archer B. Hays. The company arrived in Tampa on 13 May and encamped in the old government reservation known as the "Garrison". The Suwannee Rifles were selected among the twenty companies to constitute one of the twelve companies of the First Florida Volunteer Regiment and mustered into Federal service on 23 May, then left eh "Garrison" on 27 May and encamped at Desoto Park, Tampa. On 29 June the company detached from the Florida Regiment at Fort Brooke and marched to Tampa Heights, serving in the U.S. Siege Artillery train under Colonel Mills. Then in July, Company L was attached back to the Florida Regiment. The company left Tampa Heights on 21 July and traveled by train to Fernandina, arriving the next day. While in Fernandina, Sergeant H. M. Hicks and H. D. Puckett separately deserted the company, and one soldier was discharged for "disability". On 22 August the unit traveled via train to Huntsville, Alabama where they served until early October. While in Huntsville, the company had five more men discharged for "disability". On 9 October, they took a train to Tallahassee, arriving on 11 October. Three days later the company was given thirty days furlough and all returned to Tallahassee on 15 November. The Suwannee Rifles was mustered out 3 December 1898 in Tallahassee.[3]

The Rifles became Company E, 1st Florida Infantry in 1899. The company was called to state active duty for the Jacksonville Fire of 1901, the Jacksonville streetcar strike from 30 October – 15 November 1912, and six other times throughout various parts of Florida.[4][5] Company E, under command of Captain William H. Lyle, was commended by the Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Clifford Foster, for its actions in mustering and entraining within thirty minutes from receiving orders to assist the Suwannee County Sheriff, J. W. Hawkins. The company took the train via the Suwannee & San Pedro Railroad and arrived at Perry to escort a prisoner back to Live Oak on the awaiting train.[6] The company encamped with all of the Florida State Troops at Camp Jennings in Jacksonville from 8 to 15 September 1903.[7] Company E was disbanded in late 1912.

World War I Service edit

The Suwannee Rifles were reorganized in April 1917 as Company E, 1st Florida Infantry after the Second Florida Regiment's service on the Texas-Mexico border had ended. The reorganized company formed under command of Captain J. Hinley (who had previously commanded the unit ten years earlier) with 1LT A. E. Leslie (another former commander of Company E) and 2LT J. P. Lamb. Company E was drafted into Federal service on 5 August 1917.[8] The company was designated 5th Company, 56th Depot Brigade and used to fill other units; primarily the 124th Infantry and 106th Engineers. Few of the men from Suwannee Rifles made it to France, none were killed in action, one man was wounded, and five men died of disease while on Federal service.[9]

Interwar Years and World War II edit

After all of the Florida units returned home from service in World War I, the units were reestablished in their hometowns. Former Company E, 1st Florida Infantry reorganized in Live Oak as the 3rd Separate Company of Infantry on 11 February 1920. In August, the unit was redesignated the same name, minus 2nd Platoon in Branford, Florida. It then became Company E, 154th Infantry, assigned to the 39th Infantry Division on 19 December 1921. The unit was redesignated Company E, 124th Infantry and assigned to the 31st Infantry Division on 1 July 1923. Company E participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers at Camp Beauregard from 4 August through 24, 1940 and then mobilized for one year of training at Camp Blanding on 25 November 1940 under command of CPT Mahone Rees with Lieutenants Frank M. Green, Jr., Albert E. Durrell, Louie C. Wadsworth, and 1SG Chalmer T. Yates.[10]

The 124th Infantry was relieved from assignment to the 31st Division on 15 December 1941 and served as a model training unit for the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. The company was under command of 1LT Burnice H. Bell, with 1LT Albert E. Durrell and 2LT Marvin A. Turner and 163 enlisted men.[11] The unit was then sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina and inactivated 2 March 1944. By the time of their inactivation at Fort Jackson many of the original soldiers had volunteered or had been reassigned to other units. The inactivation came as a shock to many in Florida and Governor Spessard Holland appealed to the Secretary of War that the 124th Infantry be kept in service, "Its inactivation would be a severe blow to morale both in and outside the service and arouse bitterness in the hearts of many of our citizens who have served in it in the past".[12]

The 124th Infantry was reactivated in Australia on 5 April with personnel from the 154th Infantry and reassigned to the 31st Infantry Division. The 124th Infantry experienced intense combat in New Guinea, Morotai, and Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. After the war the unit was deactivated at Camp Stoneman, California on 16 December 1945.

Florida National Guard historian Robert Hawk noted in his book: "Few, perhaps none, of Company E's men from 1940 were serving with the Regiment in 1944. They were serving and dying elsewhere. In the course of the Second World War, no unit of the Florida National Guard had more men killed, wounded in action, or dead from other causes than Company E, 124th Infantry. Thirteen men from the original company were killed in action or died of wounds and one man died of non-battle related injuries."[13]

Post World War II edit

After the War, the unit reorganized on 8 October 1946 in Live Oak as Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry. The unit converted on 1 November 1955 as Company A, 187th Tank Battalion, a part of the 48th Armored Division. The name changed slightly as the battalion/regiment organization changed and by 15 February 1963 it was Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Armor, a subordinate battalion of the 53rd Separate Infantry Brigade (which soon after became the 53rd Armored Brigade).

The Engineer Company edit

The Florida Army National Guard went through a massive reorganization in 1968, and the Suwannee Rifles became Company C, 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry, part of the 53rd Infantry Brigade on 20 January, but less than one year later, on 1 December, the unit converted to the 269th Engineer Company.

The 269th Engineer Company was ordered into active Federal service on 21 November 1990 and released on 16 May 1991. They were again ordered into Federal service on 3 February 2003, deployed to Iraq, and was released on 19 June 2004. The Suwannee Rifles reorganized 1 September 2007 as the 868th Engineer Company.

Unit designations edit

  • "Suwannee Rifles", an independent company (1884 - )
  • "Suwannee Rifles", Florida State Troops (1891 - )
  • Company D, 3rd Battalion, Florida State Troops (1892 - )
  • Company A, 4th Battalion, Florida State Troops (1895 - )
  • Company L, 1st Florida Volunteer Infantry (23 May 1898 – 3 December 1898)
  • Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (1899 - 1912)
  • Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (April 1917 - )
  • 5th Company, 56th Depot Brigade (1 October 1917 – 31 October 1917)
  • 3rd Separate Company, Infantry (11 February 1920 – 5 January 1921)
  • Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (5 January 1921 – 13 December 1921)
  • Company E, 154th Infantry (13 December 1921 – 1 July 1923)
  • Company E, 124th Infantry (1 July 1923 – 16 December 1945)
  • Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry (8 October 1946 – 1 November 1955)
  • Company A, 187th Tank Battalion (1 November 1955 – 15 April 1959)
  • Company A, 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 187th Armor (15 April 1959 – 15 February 1963)
  • Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Armor (15 February 1963 – 20 January 1968)
  • Company C, 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry (20 January 1968 – 1 December 1968)[14]
  • 269th Engineer Company (1 December 1968 – 1 September 2007)
  • 868th Engineer Company (1 September 2007 – Present)[15]

Decorations edit

Ribbon Award Streamer embroidered Order No.
  Presidential Unit Citation (Army) MINDANAO [16]
  Philippine Presidential Unit Citation 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 Department of the Army General Order 47-50
  Meritorious Unit Commendation SOUTHWEST ASIA [17]
  Meritorious Unit Commendation IRAQ 2003 [18]

Commanders edit

 
Captain Mahone Rees, Jr. circa 1939 mobilized Company E for WWII.
 
Captain Burnice Bell, circa 1940 commanded Company E during WWII.

The following officers are known to have commanded the company during its existence:

  • C. H. Tedder, Company D, 3rd Battalion, Florida State Troops (c. 1889–1892)[19][20]
  • L. K. Kemmerlin, Company D, 3rd Battalion, Florida State Troops (c. 1893-6/22/1896)[21][22]
  • George E. Porter, Company A, 4th Battalion, Florida State Troops (6/22/1896-) [23][24][25]
  • William L. Tedder, Company L, 1st Florida Volunteer Regiment (1898)[26]
  • W. H. Lyle, Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (10/1/1900[27]-1904).[28][29][30]
  • A. E. Leslie, Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (7/9/1907-)[31]
  • W. H. Lyle, Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (2/12/1908-)[32]
  • J. Hinley, Company E, 1st Florida Infantry (7/30/1910-1912) (disbanded)[33](1917-) [34]
  • Yandell O. Brown, 3rd Separate Company of Infantry (2/11/1920-)[35]
  • Bernard L. Rhodes, Company E, 154th Infantry (5/18/1921-)[36]
  • Robert G. White, Company E, 124th Infantry (2/26/1923-)[37]
  • Mahone Rees, Jr., Company E, 124th Infantry (1/29/1935-circa 1940)[38][39]
  • Burnice H. Bell, Company E, 124th Infantry (c. 1940)[40]
  • Samuel J. White, Company E, 124th Infantry (10/8/1946-)[41]
  • Spessard Boatright, Co.A 1/187th Armor, 53rd AR Bde.(27Jan66-19Jan68)
  • Spessard Boatright, Co. C 3/124th Infantry (20Jan68-30Nov68)
  • Spessard Boatright, 269th Engr Co (Dp Trk) (1Dec68-31Jan72)
  • Spessard Boatright, 269th Engr Co (Const Spt) (1Feb72-4Feb73)
  • Elizabeth A. Evans, 868th Engineer Co. (07/2006 - 10/2008)
  • Terry M. Giles, 868th Engineer Co. (11/2008-2/2010)

References edit

  1. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army, Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565–1985. Pineapple Press: Englewood, FL. 1986. Pg. xxiii.
  2. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army, Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565–1985. Pineapple Press: Englewood, FL. 1986. Pg. xxiii.
  3. ^ Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian-Civil and Spanish–American Wars. Live Oak, Florida: Democrat Print. Pp. 364-366. Found at: https://archive.org/details/soldiersofflorid00flor
  4. ^ Kabat, Ric. "Labor Insurgence in the Deep South: The 1912 Railway Strike in Jacksonville, Florida". Florida Conference of Historians. Florida International University. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army, Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565–1985. Pineapple Press: Englewood, FL. 1986. Pg. xxiii.
  6. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903. Tallahassee, FL: I. B. Hilson, State Printer. 1905. Pp. 7, 28.
  7. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903. Tallahassee, FL: I. B. Hilson, State Printer. 1905. Pp. 16-17.
  8. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  9. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army, Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565–1985. Pineapple Press: Englewood, FL. 1986. Pg. xxiii.
  10. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Years 1941–1942. St. Augustine, FL: Department of Military Affairs. 31 December 1942. Pg. 39.
  11. ^ Historical and Pictorial Review, 124th Infantry, 31st Division, Army and Navy Publishing Company, Inc.: Baton Rouge, LA. 1941. pg. 70-73.
  12. ^ Collins, Vivian (1946). Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Florida, 1945–1946. Florida National Guard. p. 7.
  13. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army, Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565–1985. Pineapple Press: Englewood, FL. 1986. Pg. xxiii.
  14. ^ National Guard Reorganization Order No. 76-67, NG AROTO 1002-01 Florida, dated 14 DEC 67
  15. ^ National Guard Organization Authority, OA 220-07, dated 23 APR 2007.
  16. ^ 868th Engineer Company Worksheet, notes from Center for Military History
  17. ^ 868th Engineer Company Worksheet, notes from Center for Military History
  18. ^ 868th Engineer Company Worksheet, notes from Center for Military History
  19. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1890 (AGR 1889-1890). Tallahassee, FL: The Floridian Printing Company. 1891. Pg. 17.
  20. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1892 (AGR 1891-1892). Tallahassee, FL: John G. Collins State Printer. 1893. Pg. 14.
  21. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  22. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1894 (AGR 1893-1894). Tallahassee, FL: John G. Collins State Printer. 1895. Pg. 31.
  23. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  24. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1895 and Ending 31 December 1896 (AGR 1895-1896). Tallahassee, FL: Floridian Printing Company. 1897. Pg. 49.
  25. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1897 and Ending 31 December 1898 (AGR 1897-1898). Tallahassee, FL: The Tallahasseean Book and Job Print. 1899. Pg. 25.
  26. ^ Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian-Civil and Spanish–American Wars. Live Oak, Florida: Democrat Print. Pp. 364-366. Found at: https://archive.org/details/soldiersofflorid00flor
  27. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1899 and Ending 31 December 1900 (AGR 1899-1900). Tallahassee, FL: The Tallahasseean Book and Job Print. 1901. Pg. 51.
  28. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1901. Tallahassee, FL: I. B. Hilson, State Printer. 1902. Pp. 10, 52.
  29. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1902. Tallahassee, FL: I. B. Hilson, State Printer. 1902. Pp. 7-9, 90, 97.
  30. ^ Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903. Tallahassee, FL: I. B. Hilson, State Printer. 1905. Pp. 7, 28.
  31. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  32. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  33. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  34. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  35. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  36. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  37. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  38. ^ Historical Annual of the State of Florida, Army and Navy Publishing Company: Baton Rouge, LA. 1939. pg. 147.
  39. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672
  40. ^ Historical and Pictorial Review, 124th Infantry, 31st Division, Army and Navy Publishing Company, Inc.: Baton Rouge, LA. 1941. pg. 70.
  41. ^ Hawk, Robert. Florida Department of Military Affairs, Special Archives Number 102. Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories, 1880-1940. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00047672

April 11, 2024
suwannee, rifles, 868th, engineer, company, unit, florida, army, national, guard, stationed, live, florida, company, oldest, continuous, lineages, florida, national, guard, starting, independent, company, infantry, 1884, during, first, years, served, infantry,. The 868th Engineer Company Suwannee Rifles is a unit of the Florida Army National Guard stationed in Live Oak Florida The company has one of the oldest continuous lineages in the Florida National Guard starting out as an independent company of infantry in 1884 1 During its first 71 years the Suwannee Rifles served as an infantry company and deployed as Company E 124th Infantry during World War II After WWII the unit reorganized again as infantry then as an armor company for thirteen years and since December 1968 the Suwannee Rifles has been an engineer company 868th Engineer CompanyActive1884 Accepted into Florida State Troops 1891CountryUnited StatesAllegiance United StatesBranchFlorida Army National GuardTypeEngineer formerly Infantry and Armor SizeCompanyGarrison HQLive Oak FloridaNickname s Suwannee Rifles EngagementsWorld War IIGulf WarIraq War Company E 124th Infantry on break from training Contents 1 Founding and Spanish American War Service 2 World War I Service 3 Interwar Years and World War II 4 Post World War II 5 The Engineer Company 6 Unit designations 7 Decorations 8 Commanders 9 ReferencesFounding and Spanish American War Service editThe Suwannee Rifles were established in 1884 in Live Oak Suwannee County Florida 2 In 1891 the Suwannee Rifles were organized in the Florida State Troops and designated Company D 3rd Battalion of Infantry in 1892 In early 1893 L K Kemmerlin is listed as a lieutenant in the company Kemmerlin was promoted to captain on 25 November 1893 and commanded the company William L Tedder and J W Price were appointed First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant respectively on 27 August 1894 The unit attended Camp Dunn Ocala in 1893 and camp at Pensacola in 1894 In 1895 the Suwannee Rifles were reorganized in the Florida State Troops as Company A 4th Battalion In June 1896 Captain George E Porter assumed command while William Tedder continued as First Lieutenant L K Kemmerlin was reappointed as a Second Lieutenant one year later on 27 June 1897 The Suwannee Rifles did their summer training at Camp Bloxham Jacksonville in 1896 and then Camp Henderson Tallahassee in 1897 At the start of the war with Spain the twenty companies of the Florida State Troops were ordered to Tampa The Suwannee Rifles left Live Oak on 12 May 1898 under command of Captain William L Tedder with 1LT L K Kemmerlin 2LT Willie H Lyle and 2LT Archer B Hays The company arrived in Tampa on 13 May and encamped in the old government reservation known as the Garrison The Suwannee Rifles were selected among the twenty companies to constitute one of the twelve companies of the First Florida Volunteer Regiment and mustered into Federal service on 23 May then left eh Garrison on 27 May and encamped at Desoto Park Tampa On 29 June the company detached from the Florida Regiment at Fort Brooke and marched to Tampa Heights serving in the U S Siege Artillery train under Colonel Mills Then in July Company L was attached back to the Florida Regiment The company left Tampa Heights on 21 July and traveled by train to Fernandina arriving the next day While in Fernandina Sergeant H M Hicks and H D Puckett separately deserted the company and one soldier was discharged for disability On 22 August the unit traveled via train to Huntsville Alabama where they served until early October While in Huntsville the company had five more men discharged for disability On 9 October they took a train to Tallahassee arriving on 11 October Three days later the company was given thirty days furlough and all returned to Tallahassee on 15 November The Suwannee Rifles was mustered out 3 December 1898 in Tallahassee 3 The Rifles became Company E 1st Florida Infantry in 1899 The company was called to state active duty for the Jacksonville Fire of 1901 the Jacksonville streetcar strike from 30 October 15 November 1912 and six other times throughout various parts of Florida 4 5 Company E under command of Captain William H Lyle was commended by the Adjutant General Maj Gen Clifford Foster for its actions in mustering and entraining within thirty minutes from receiving orders to assist the Suwannee County Sheriff J W Hawkins The company took the train via the Suwannee amp San Pedro Railroad and arrived at Perry to escort a prisoner back to Live Oak on the awaiting train 6 The company encamped with all of the Florida State Troops at Camp Jennings in Jacksonville from 8 to 15 September 1903 7 Company E was disbanded in late 1912 World War I Service editThe Suwannee Rifles were reorganized in April 1917 as Company E 1st Florida Infantry after the Second Florida Regiment s service on the Texas Mexico border had ended The reorganized company formed under command of Captain J Hinley who had previously commanded the unit ten years earlier with 1LT A E Leslie another former commander of Company E and 2LT J P Lamb Company E was drafted into Federal service on 5 August 1917 8 The company was designated 5th Company 56th Depot Brigade and used to fill other units primarily the 124th Infantry and 106th Engineers Few of the men from Suwannee Rifles made it to France none were killed in action one man was wounded and five men died of disease while on Federal service 9 Interwar Years and World War II editAfter all of the Florida units returned home from service in World War I the units were reestablished in their hometowns Former Company E 1st Florida Infantry reorganized in Live Oak as the 3rd Separate Company of Infantry on 11 February 1920 In August the unit was redesignated the same name minus 2nd Platoon in Branford Florida It then became Company E 154th Infantry assigned to the 39th Infantry Division on 19 December 1921 The unit was redesignated Company E 124th Infantry and assigned to the 31st Infantry Division on 1 July 1923 Company E participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers at Camp Beauregard from 4 August through 24 1940 and then mobilized for one year of training at Camp Blanding on 25 November 1940 under command of CPT Mahone Rees with Lieutenants Frank M Green Jr Albert E Durrell Louie C Wadsworth and 1SG Chalmer T Yates 10 The 124th Infantry was relieved from assignment to the 31st Division on 15 December 1941 and served as a model training unit for the Infantry School at Fort Benning Georgia The company was under command of 1LT Burnice H Bell with 1LT Albert E Durrell and 2LT Marvin A Turner and 163 enlisted men 11 The unit was then sent to Fort Jackson South Carolina and inactivated 2 March 1944 By the time of their inactivation at Fort Jackson many of the original soldiers had volunteered or had been reassigned to other units The inactivation came as a shock to many in Florida and Governor Spessard Holland appealed to the Secretary of War that the 124th Infantry be kept in service Its inactivation would be a severe blow to morale both in and outside the service and arouse bitterness in the hearts of many of our citizens who have served in it in the past 12 The 124th Infantry was reactivated in Australia on 5 April with personnel from the 154th Infantry and reassigned to the 31st Infantry Division The 124th Infantry experienced intense combat in New Guinea Morotai and Mindanao in the Southern Philippines After the war the unit was deactivated at Camp Stoneman California on 16 December 1945 Florida National Guard historian Robert Hawk noted in his book Few perhaps none of Company E s men from 1940 were serving with the Regiment in 1944 They were serving and dying elsewhere In the course of the Second World War no unit of the Florida National Guard had more men killed wounded in action or dead from other causes than Company E 124th Infantry Thirteen men from the original company were killed in action or died of wounds and one man died of non battle related injuries 13 Post World War II editAfter the War the unit reorganized on 8 October 1946 in Live Oak as Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 124th Infantry The unit converted on 1 November 1955 as Company A 187th Tank Battalion a part of the 48th Armored Division The name changed slightly as the battalion regiment organization changed and by 15 February 1963 it was Company A 1st Battalion 187th Armor a subordinate battalion of the 53rd Separate Infantry Brigade which soon after became the 53rd Armored Brigade The Engineer Company editThe Florida Army National Guard went through a massive reorganization in 1968 and the Suwannee Rifles became Company C 3rd Battalion 124th Infantry part of the 53rd Infantry Brigade on 20 January but less than one year later on 1 December the unit converted to the 269th Engineer Company The 269th Engineer Company was ordered into active Federal service on 21 November 1990 and released on 16 May 1991 They were again ordered into Federal service on 3 February 2003 deployed to Iraq and was released on 19 June 2004 The Suwannee Rifles reorganized 1 September 2007 as the 868th Engineer Company Unit designations edit Suwannee Rifles an independent company 1884 Suwannee Rifles Florida State Troops 1891 Company D 3rd Battalion Florida State Troops 1892 Company A 4th Battalion Florida State Troops 1895 Company L 1st Florida Volunteer Infantry 23 May 1898 3 December 1898 Company E 1st Florida Infantry 1899 1912 Company E 1st Florida Infantry April 1917 5th Company 56th Depot Brigade 1 October 1917 31 October 1917 3rd Separate Company Infantry 11 February 1920 5 January 1921 Company E 1st Florida Infantry 5 January 1921 13 December 1921 Company E 154th Infantry 13 December 1921 1 July 1923 Company E 124th Infantry 1 July 1923 16 December 1945 Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 124th Infantry 8 October 1946 1 November 1955 Company A 187th Tank Battalion 1 November 1955 15 April 1959 Company A 1st Medium Tank Battalion 187th Armor 15 April 1959 15 February 1963 Company A 1st Battalion 187th Armor 15 February 1963 20 January 1968 Company C 3rd Battalion 124th Infantry 20 January 1968 1 December 1968 14 269th Engineer Company 1 December 1968 1 September 2007 868th Engineer Company 1 September 2007 Present 15 Decorations editRibbon Award Streamer embroidered Order No nbsp Presidential Unit Citation Army MINDANAO 16 nbsp Philippine Presidential Unit Citation 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 Department of the Army General Order 47 50 nbsp Meritorious Unit Commendation SOUTHWEST ASIA 17 nbsp Meritorious Unit Commendation IRAQ 2003 18 Commanders edit nbsp Captain Mahone Rees Jr circa 1939 mobilized Company E for WWII nbsp Captain Burnice Bell circa 1940 commanded Company E during WWII The following officers are known to have commanded the company during its existence C H Tedder Company D 3rd Battalion Florida State Troops c 1889 1892 19 20 L K Kemmerlin Company D 3rd Battalion Florida State Troops c 1893 6 22 1896 21 22 George E Porter Company A 4th Battalion Florida State Troops 6 22 1896 23 24 25 William L Tedder Company L 1st Florida Volunteer Regiment 1898 26 W H Lyle Company E 1st Florida Infantry 10 1 1900 27 1904 28 29 30 A E Leslie Company E 1st Florida Infantry 7 9 1907 31 W H Lyle Company E 1st Florida Infantry 2 12 1908 32 J Hinley Company E 1st Florida Infantry 7 30 1910 1912 disbanded 33 1917 34 Yandell O Brown 3rd Separate Company of Infantry 2 11 1920 35 Bernard L Rhodes Company E 154th Infantry 5 18 1921 36 Robert G White Company E 124th Infantry 2 26 1923 37 Mahone Rees Jr Company E 124th Infantry 1 29 1935 circa 1940 38 39 Burnice H Bell Company E 124th Infantry c 1940 40 Samuel J White Company E 124th Infantry 10 8 1946 41 Spessard Boatright Co A 1 187th Armor 53rd AR Bde 27Jan66 19Jan68 Spessard Boatright Co C 3 124th Infantry 20Jan68 30Nov68 Spessard Boatright 269th Engr Co Dp Trk 1Dec68 31Jan72 Spessard Boatright 269th Engr Co Const Spt 1Feb72 4Feb73 Elizabeth A Evans 868th Engineer Co 07 2006 10 2008 Terry M Giles 868th Engineer Co 11 2008 2 2010 References edit Hawk Robert Florida s Army Militia State Troops National Guard 1565 1985 Pineapple Press Englewood FL 1986 Pg xxiii Hawk Robert Florida s Army Militia State Troops National Guard 1565 1985 Pineapple Press Englewood FL 1986 Pg xxiii Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian Civil and Spanish American Wars Live Oak Florida Democrat Print Pp 364 366 Found at https archive org details soldiersofflorid00flor Kabat Ric Labor Insurgence in the Deep South The 1912 Railway Strike in Jacksonville Florida Florida Conference of Historians Florida International University Retrieved 2 October 2014 Hawk Robert Florida s Army Militia State Troops National Guard 1565 1985 Pineapple Press Englewood FL 1986 Pg xxiii Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903 Tallahassee FL I B Hilson State Printer 1905 Pp 7 28 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903 Tallahassee FL I B Hilson State Printer 1905 Pp 16 17 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida s Army Militia State Troops National Guard 1565 1985 Pineapple Press Englewood FL 1986 Pg xxiii Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Years 1941 1942 St Augustine FL Department of Military Affairs 31 December 1942 Pg 39 Historical and Pictorial Review 124th Infantry 31st Division Army and Navy Publishing Company Inc Baton Rouge LA 1941 pg 70 73 Collins Vivian 1946 Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Florida 1945 1946 Florida National Guard p 7 Hawk Robert Florida s Army Militia State Troops National Guard 1565 1985 Pineapple Press Englewood FL 1986 Pg xxiii National Guard Reorganization Order No 76 67 NG AROTO 1002 01 Florida dated 14 DEC 67 National Guard Organization Authority OA 220 07 dated 23 APR 2007 868th Engineer Company Worksheet notes from Center for Military History 868th Engineer Company Worksheet notes from Center for Military History 868th Engineer Company Worksheet notes from Center for Military History Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1890 AGR 1889 1890 Tallahassee FL The Floridian Printing Company 1891 Pg 17 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1892 AGR 1891 1892 Tallahassee FL John G Collins State Printer 1893 Pg 14 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Ending 31 December 1894 AGR 1893 1894 Tallahassee FL John G Collins State Printer 1895 Pg 31 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1895 and Ending 31 December 1896 AGR 1895 1896 Tallahassee FL Floridian Printing Company 1897 Pg 49 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1897 and Ending 31 December 1898 AGR 1897 1898 Tallahassee FL The Tallahasseean Book and Job Print 1899 Pg 25 Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian Civil and Spanish American Wars Live Oak Florida Democrat Print Pp 364 366 Found at https archive org details soldiersofflorid00flor Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Biennial Period Beginning 1 January 1899 and Ending 31 December 1900 AGR 1899 1900 Tallahassee FL The Tallahasseean Book and Job Print 1901 Pg 51 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1901 Tallahassee FL I B Hilson State Printer 1902 Pp 10 52 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1902 Tallahassee FL I B Hilson State Printer 1902 Pp 7 9 90 97 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the Year 1903 Tallahassee FL I B Hilson State Printer 1905 Pp 7 28 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Historical Annual of the State of Florida Army and Navy Publishing Company Baton Rouge LA 1939 pg 147 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Historical and Pictorial Review 124th Infantry 31st Division Army and Navy Publishing Company Inc Baton Rouge LA 1941 pg 70 Hawk Robert Florida Department of Military Affairs Special Archives Number 102 Florida National Guard Summary Unit Histories 1880 1940 Retrieved from http ufdc ufl edu UF00047672 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Suwannee Rifles amp oldid 1214988989, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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