The U.S. 25th first became a unit just before the war of 1812. The unit was raised from men from both Connecticut and Massachusetts. Most units that were raised at this time period (there were 8 battalions raised) were very poorly trained and led, and for the most part were not very good soldiers. The 25th however, was blessed with having good officers, and did fairly well until such time as they were disbanded. During this period of time they wore blue coats.
During this period from 1812-1813 they sat idle though, until their first major action at the battle of Chrysler Farm in 1813. The Americans vastly outnumbered the British in this battle; however, the Americans had such poor training, leadership and morale that the British slaughtered them. After this battle the unit, along with many others, was disbanded.
In 1814 however, Winfield Scott raised the unit again, to be a part of his First Brigade. The unit was raised out of the same states as before, but for the most part had different men in it. Due to the shortage of wool, Scott issued grey coats for his men, rather than blue coats this time around. He also drilled his brigade to perfection.The first time that the British met the First Brigade was at the battle of Chippewa, when Riall, the British General saw the Americans coming, and marched across the bridge to meet them, thinking that he was merely facing Militia man. Riall was in for a nasty surprise, and is known for saying "Those are regulars, by God!" The battle of Lundy's lane is the final battle of note that the 25th participated in. In this battle Scott's men encountered a heavily fortified hill with a large amount of British Artillery, and were unable to return fire with anything more than their muskets. Refusing to retreat, the First Brigade held their ground until such time as reinforcements could come. The battle took place over night, where nobody could see, and there was a great deal of blunders and friendly fire on both sides. Being the bloodiest battle in the war, at the end of the day it turned out to be a draw, despite both Generals claiming victory.
