Second Corps of Cadets

Second Corps of Cadets. . , 1629. The First Militia Company in Massachusetts Bay is organized in Salem., 1636. With the need for greater military organization, the East Regiment, later the Essex Regiment, is organized on December 13, 1636. This date marks the official birth of the National Guard of the United States., 1775. Essex County Militiamen respond to the Lexington Alarm of April 19, 1775 and take part in the fiercest fighting of the day in Arlington. Essex Militiamen later fight at Bunker Hill and help form units of the Continental Army., 1786. Veterans of the Revolutionary War realize the need for military preparedness and civil order and organize the Salem Cadets, later the Second Corps of Cadets, on July 10, 1786. The Cadets are one of the first volunteer militia units in the state., 1861 - 1865. The Second Corps of Cadets serves in the Civil War and provides the leadership for volunteer units from all parts of Essex County., 1917 - 1918. The Second Corps of Cadets serves as an artillery battalion in the 26th Yankee Division in France during World War I. The corps participates in six campaigns., 1945 - 1945. As the 102d Field Artillery Battalion, the corps engages in six major campaigns in the European Theater in World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge., 1947 - 1989. As part of the strategic reserve, the Second Corps of Cadets expands to three battalions as the 102d Field Artillery Regiment. In 1988 the 102d is inactivated and the corps is reduced to a battery., 1996. As part of the total force, the 102d Field Artillery (Second Corps of Cadets) is reorganized as the nation returns to its traditional reliance on the volunteer citizen soldier.