18th Field Artillery Regiment Coat of Arms

Information and History

HERALDRY TERMS

Argent is the tincture of silver
"argent":
1. adj. in white or silver.

Azure is the tincture with the colour blue

bandlet: Moulding in the form of a ring; at top of a column

"bend":
1. n. a broad diagonal stripe connecting the viewer's upper left and lower right.

"bendlet":
1. n. a narrow diagonal stripe connecting the viewer's upper left and lower right.

"canton":
1. n. a large, square figure covering the corner in the viewer's upper left.
2. n. the corner in the viewer's upper left (in canton).

"charged":
1. adj. having another charge placed so it lies entirely on the first

(a roundel charged with a mullet).

Cottised: Set between two cottises

cottises: A diminutive of the bendlet, containing one half its area or one quarter

the area of the bend. When a single cottise is used alone it is often called a cost.

Dexter: a heraldry term referring to the right of the bearer of the arms,

and to the left by the viewer's eyes.

"dexter":
1. n. the side to the viewer's left, which would be the shield-bearer's right.
2. adj. (of a left-right pair) right (a dexter glove).

"erased":
1. adj. (of a limb) severed with a jagged cut.

"fesswise":
1. adj. (of charges) oriented so that the long axis lies horizontally, facing to the viewer's left.

"gules":
1. adj. in red.

"mullet":
1. n. a charge representing a star or spur rowel, composed of a symmetric a

rrangement of straight rays or points.

"Or":
1. adj. (usually capitalized) in yellow or gold.

"sable":
1. adj. in black

Sinister: Situated on or being the side of a shield on the wearer's left and the

observer's right
"sinister":
1. n. the side to the viewer's right, which would be the shield-bearer's left (passant to sinister).
2. adj. having left and right transposed (a bend sinister).
3. adj. (of any left-right pair) left (a sinister foot).

The Cross of Lorraine, ‡, is a heraldic cross. The "double cross" consists

of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Lorraine

Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_astra_%28phrase%29

The Latin phrase Per aspera ad Astra literally means

"Through hardships to the stars".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_aspera_ad_Astra
This wiki page could use an 18th artillery entry

Arms of Champagne
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr-89-sf.html
Google Books

Coat of Arms.

Blazon:

Shield: Azure, three bendlets sinister Argent, a bend double-cottized potenté counter-potenté Or; on a canton Gules a mullet within a fish-hook fesswise, ring to dexter and barb to base, of the second (for the 5th Field Artillery).

Crest: On a wreath of the colors Argent and Azure an eagle’s head erased Or gorged with a collar Sable charged with a Lorraine cross of the first. Addition: The gold eagle charged with a cross of Lorraine represents service in France during World War I.

Motto: PER ASPERA AD ASTRA (Through Difficulties to the Stars).

Symbolism:

Shield: The shield is the shoulder patch of the 3rd Division, the bend and bendlets are from the arms of Champagne. The canton indicates the parentage of the regiment. The fishhook and Star are from the coat of arms of the 5th Field Artillery; the union battle line of Gettysburg was in the shape of a fishhook and the corps badge of Slocum’s 12th Corps was a star.

Addition: The shield is based on the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 3d division; the bend and the bendlets are from the arms of champagne. The regiment was organized in 1917 from personnel of the 5th field artillery. The fishhook and the star on the canton are from the coat of arms of the 5th field artillery. The union battle line of Gettysburg was in the shape of a fishhook; the corps badge of the Major General Henry W. Slocum's XII corps was a star.

Crest: The crest is from the coat of arms of St. Mihiel.

Motto: The motto is an extract from the citation received by the 18th. Addition: The motto is an extract from the French corps order received by the regiment during World War I.

Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 18th Field Artillery Regiment on 18 May 1923. It was amended to correct the blazon on 12 July 1928. It was redesignated for the 18th Field Artillery Battalion on 4 September 1943. The insignia was redesignated for the 18th Artillery Regiment on 18 November 1958. It was again redesignated for the 18th Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971.

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