In 1776, Thomas Lee was authorized to enlist a provincial company of artillery for the defense of Savannah, the first such unit in Georgia's history.

In 2005 they were mobilized again into federal service, as an element of the 48th Brigade Combat team serving in Iraq, part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Chatham Artillery was re-mobilized in 2009 to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, personally training Afghan Troops and Police Forces.

A gold-color metal-and-enamel device 1+1⁄8 inches (2.86 cm) in height, consisting of the coat of arms of the regiment blazoned: SHIELD: Gules, a saltire Gray fimbriated Or, in chief a lion passant guardant, in base a fleur-de-lis, of the last.

It was reorganized on April 2, 1757, as the 1st Regiment of Foot Militia, Division of Savannah, under the command of Colonel Noble Jones.

Of English and French make, respectively, they are excellent examples of the art of ordnance manufacture in the 18th century.An inscription on the British 6 pounder states that it was "surrendered by the capitulation of York Town Oct. 19, 1781."

The English cannon was cast in 1783 during the reign of George II and the royal insignia and motto of the Order of the Garter appear on its barrel.The French gun was manufactured at Strasburg in 1756.

"Reminders of America's hard-won struggle for Independence and of the great man who led the Continental forces in the Revolution, the historic "Washington Guns" were placed on public display here through the co-operation of the Chatham Artillery and the City of Savannah.

[4]Second marker: These cannon, which were captured when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in the American Revolution, were a gift to the Chatham Artillery by President George Washington – a mark of his appreciation for the part the local military company played in the celebration of his visit to Savannah in May 1791.

"The "Washington Guns" have thundered a welcome to many distinguished visitors to Savannah, including James Monroe, the Marquis de Lafayette, James K. Polk, Millard Fillmore, Chester A. Arthur, Jefferson Davis, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.During the War Between the States the historic cannon were buried for safety beneath the Chatham Artillery armory and were not removed until 1872 when the Federal occupation troops had departed.The guns were fired to salute President James Monroe when he visited Savannah in May 1819 for the launching of the S.S. Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The "Washington Guns" were taken to Yorktown in 1881 by a contingent of the Chatham Artillery and led the parade at the centennial celebration of Cornwallis' surrender.

[6] The Savannah Volunteer Guards (Organized in 1802) and the Republican Blues (Organized in 1808) were mustered into Federal service in east Florida in June 1812 as elements of Colonel David Newman's provisional battalion of Georgia Volunteers, and mustered out of Federal service in October 1812.

[6] Reorganized in 1921 in the Georgia National Guard as the 1st Field Artillery, its headquarters was Federally recognized on December 30, 1921, at Savannah.

[6] Reorganized in 1921 in the Georgia National Guard as the 1st Field Artillery, its headquarters was Federally recognized on December 30, 1921, at Savannah.

[3] The 118th and 230th Field Artillery Battalions consolidated on July 1, 1959, and the consolidated unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 118th Field Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental system, to consist of the 1st and 2d Howitzer Battalions, elements of the 48th Armored Division.

It was reorganized on December 1, 1973, to consist of the 1st Battalion, an element of the 48th Infantry Brigade before being withdrawn on June 1, 1989, from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System with headquarters at Waycross (1st Battalion ordered into active Federal service on November 30, 1990, at home stations: released on March 27, 1991, from active Federal service and reverted to state control).

Elements of the 48th Brigade occupied and maintained forward operating bases (FOBs) in Mahmudiyah, Lutifiyah, Latifiyah, and Yusifiyah; and established a new joint United States/Iraqi Army permanent patrol base, designated PB Lion's Den, located to the west of the Radwaniyah Palace Complex.

The brigade's headquarters relocated to Camp Adder (also known as Ali Air Base or Tallil Air Base) in the vicinity of Nasiriyah, Iraq, and the brigade had elements stationed as far south as Kuwait to as far north as Mosul, and as far west as the Syrian border.

On April 20, 2006, at Ft. Stewart, more than 4,000 members of the brigade began to return home after a year of combat operations in Iraq.

The April 20 arrival marked the first of nearly a dozen flights over the subsequent weeks that brought the soldiers back to Georgia.

In December 2007, the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was alerted that it will be deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

The program establishes a formal relationship between the reserve and active duty components, allowing units to train and eventually deploy together.