The Regimental Coat of Arms
The Secretary of War approved the present Coat of Arms of the 20th Infantry on October 28th 1921:
The Coat of Arms of the 20th Infantry is a shield crossed from upper left to lower right corner by a band of gold. The upper part of the shield is blue and lower part red.
During the greater part of the Civil War the 20th Infantry was a part of the Second Division of the 5th Army Corps. The badge of the 2nd Division was the (Silver) white cross, which appears in the upper (Blue) quarter of this shield. The badge of the 5th Army Corps was the (Silver) white five bastions-fort, which appears in the center of the band crossing the shield. The 20th Infantry saw service in the Philippine Islands where it fought in the Pasig Campaign of 1899. Among the insurrects was a fierce cult called the Katipunen, the emblem of which was a (Gold) yellow blazing sun in the Triangular blue flag. This sun is represented on the lower left quarter of the shield, in blue triangle bordered with yellow (Gold).
The Crest is formed of four rifles (Gold), each pair so crossed so as to make the Roman numeral twenty (XX). These crossed rifles stand upon a wreath of gold (Yellow) and blue. This crest, is metal and is approved by the Secretary of War for wear as a part of the uniform of the 20th Infantry.
The Motto: TANT QUE JE PUIS.
The Motto may be translated "To the limit of our ability"
Items of Interest on 20th Infantry
The original 20th Infantry was organized under the Act of June 26, 1812. The regiment saw service in Canada between August 17 and 29, 1814 and the United States during the war of 1812. During this time it had three colonels, five lieutenant Colonels and 7 majors, one of who became it last colonel.
On May 17, 1815, under the Act of March 3, 1815 the 20th Infantry was consolidated with 14th, 18th, 36th and 38th regiments of infantry to form the 4th U.S. Infantry.
By the third Endorsement, Historical Section, The Army War College, dated March 6, 1924, to the Adjutant General of the Army, it is stated that "There was a 20th Infantry organized in 1812, this regiment is not identical with the present regiment." Hence the 20th Infantry does not carry Battle Streamers for the War of 1812 Service.