Panther City Fencibles
The Panther City Fencibles is the name of two separate units of the Texas Military Forces, the latter being the notional — but not literal — continuation of the former.
Early organization
The Panther City Fencibles were established as a militia company of the Texas Volunteer Guard in 1883 with the amalgamation of the Lloyd Rifles and the Fort Worth Fencibles.[1] In 1886 it was designated Company K of the 4th Texas Regiment.[2] During the 1893 inauguration of Grover Cleveland as President of the United States, a 55-man contingent of the unit represented Texas during the inaugural parade.[1] At the time of the Spanish–American War, it was integrated into the 2nd Texas Volunteer Infantry and was awaiting embarkation in Key West, Florida for overseas service at the time of the war's end.[1]
Later organization
| 4th Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Texas |
| Role | Civil affairs[3] |
| Nickname(s) | Panther City Fencibles |
| Motto(s) | Sempre Caveo[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | COL Robert Hastings[4] |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |  |
The 27th Battalion of the Texas Defense Guard — later called the Texas State Guard — was activated in 1941, deactivated in 1947, reactivated and redesignated the 5th Regiment the following year, went through several other name changes, and was ultimately designated the 4th Regiment on 1 July 1993.[3] At the time of its final designation it was also given the special designation Panther City Fencibles in homage to the former unit.[3]
As of the 2000s, the unit was headquartered at the Shoreview Armory in Fort Worth, Texas,[5] colloquially known as "Panther City".[1][6] Its area of operations encompasses northwest and north central Texas and its battalions are posted in Weatherford, Decatur, and Arlington.[1][4] The regiment is a civil affairs unit.[3]
References
- "Texas State Guard: A Colorful Past". Austin American-Statesman. August 21, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- "What's Going on in the Departments". Austin Weekly Statesman. September 16, 1886. Retrieved July 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "About the 4th Regiment TXSG (Panther City Fencibles)". gotxsg.com. Texas State Guard. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Meza, Esperanza. "4th Regiment Command Welcomes New Leader". texas.gov. Texas Military Forces. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Schmelzer, Janet (June 2014). "Real World" (PDF). The Dispatch. p. 49. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Scudder, Charles (June 6, 2018). "Why is Fort Worth called Panther City? Curious Texas investigates a regional rivalry". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 5, 2019.