Constituted in 1917 at Camp Syracuse, New York, the regiment fought in World War I, and was later inactivated in 1921.

Remaining nominally inactive throughout the interwar period but manned with Organized Reserve personnel, the 47th Infantry was reactivated in 1940 and subsequently fought during World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Western Europe, then was inactivated in 1946.

Ultimately it was reactivated as a training regiment, and as of 1999, it has been assigned to Fort Moore and consists of two active battalions.

[10] In late July, the regiment along with the rest of the 7th Infantry Brigade, was briefly attached to the VII French Army Corps near Bois du Chitelet;[12]: 93  it was then sent to bolster the beleaguered 42nd Division at Ourcq.

[17] The 47th Infantry Regiment arrived at the port of New York on 16 July 1919 on the troopship USS Mobile.

The 47th Infantry Regiment was inactivated on 22 September 1921 at Camp Lewis and along with the 4th Division, was allotted to the Fourth Corps Area for mobilization responsibility.

The regiment was affiliated with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi's ROTC program on 25 February 1927 and was organized, less the 3rd Battalion, at Starkville with Regular Army instructors assigned to the ROTC detachment and Reserve officers commissioned from the program.

It participated in the 1938 Third Army maneuvers in the De Soto National Forest in Mississippi by providing numerous Reserve officers as umpires.

[4] Following its actions during Operation Torch, of which Blackstone was a part, the regiment took part in divisional duties of monitor Spanish Morocco, which lasted into early 1943;[22] during this time, the regiment conducted a foot march of more than 200 miles (320 km) from Safi to Port-Lyautey.

[35] Relieved by the 357th Infantry Regiment (of the 90th Infantry Division) along the English Channel, facing Jersey, the regiment moved to Saint-Jacques-de-Néhou where it began its push northward to Vasteville, via Bricquebec; on 20 June it began its push towards Cherbourg, but was initially halted near Sideville by stiff German prepared defenses around the outskirts of the port city.

[38] The regiment continued to fight in the western portion of Cherbourg, and by the 26th it captured German General Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben and Admiral Walter Hennecke.

[40] On 11 July, wounded men and medical officers of the regiment's third battalion, were captured by German forces; one of the medical officers would later be killed by friendly fire and buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, while the other was liberated at Château-Thierry while taking care of wounded prisoners of war.

[52] By mid-April 1945, the 9th Infantry Division was reassigned to VII Corps, and fought against remaining German forces in the Harz Mountains; there they encountered concentration camps near Nordhausen.

[33] Part of the Regiment's postwar occupation duty included a stint at the Dachau Concentration Camp.

[69][c] During its time in Vietnam, the regiment conducted joint operations with the United States Navy, during which its soldiers deployed from, and billeted aboard, naval vessels.

[67]: 54  In January 1967, the regiment deployed from Fort Riley, by way of San Francisco, disembarking at Vũng Tàu.

[67]: 59  From mid-February to late-March 1967, the regiment's 3d Battalion conducted combat training, with the USS Whitfield County (LST-1169) and the 9th River Assault Squadron, in the Rung Sat Special Zone.

[67]: 83  In June 1967, the regiment took part in Operation Concordia, with the USS Colleton (APB-36) providing medical support.

[67]: 105–108  In early July 1967, operations were conducted in the Gò Công Province;[67]: 110–112  at the end of that month, the regiment moved to Can Guioc.

[67]: 114–120  In August, and early September, the regiment operated in the Long An Province, supporting units from the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division.

[67]: 128–143 During the Tet Offensive, in early February, the regiment fought heavily in and around Mỹ Tho in Operation Coronado X.

[75] On 8 April 2013, an inactivation ceremony was held for the 3d Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, resulting in a reduction of 44 soldier and 27 civilian positions.