'The Red-Legged Devils' - Brooklyn's Best Regiment

The Fourteenth Brooklyn was a superb warfighting organization.. Five factors, when taken collectively, made the Fourteenth Regiment a superior combat unit. The Brooklyn communities exerted extraordinary force on the men to fight. As a militia unit, the soldiers had a close relationship to the rest of the community. The support from the citizen created a heightened sense of Espirit d’ Corps in the regiment. The existing soldiers and the newer recruits were of the highest caliber, facilitating an easy transition from “citizen” to “soldier”. As individuals and as a unit the soldiers strove for technical and tactical proficiency. The men fought for the honor of the regiment. The regiment took on a spirit like quality that in return for the men submission to it, returned to the men courage in trying times.The same traits that empowered the Fourteenth exist today, if we are wise enough to heed them. The Fourteenth Regiment is worthy of further study by today’s warriors.