Constituted at Indianapolis, Indiana on 3 May 1861 and organized over the next four months, the 19th Infantry Regiment took part in the Battles of Shiloh and Murfreesboro before earning their nickname, “the Rock of Chickamauga,” at that eponymous bloody Civil War battle in Northern Georgia. The appellation was first given to Union General George Thomas for the defensive stand he helped lead in the aftermath of a resounding Confederate victory, but it was also quickly attached to the regiment whose troops had fought so bravely and selflessly in the face of seemingly hopeless odds.
Following the Civil War, the regiment and its two battalions were deployed to the West for actions against the Utes, then fought in both the War with Spain and the Philippine Insurrection. Though it did not see combat in World War II, the regiment and both its 1st and 2nd Battalions were took part in six officially named campaigns in the Pacific, garnering Arrowheads for Assault landings on New Guinea, Leyte, and the Southern Philippines.
From 1950 to 1953, it fought in eight campaigns of the Korean War and its service was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations. Since 1989, it has been assigned to U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. As of 2023, both the 1st and 2nd Battalions are assigned to the 198th Infantry Brigade at Fort Moore (formerly named Fort Benning) in Georgia, home of the U.S. Army Infantry School and the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.