Constituted Jan. 21, 1839 in the Kentucky Militia as the Louisville Legion and organized at Louisville. The unit mustered into federal service May 17, 1846 as the first Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment and mustered out of federal service May 17, 1847 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Four years after coming out of the federal service, the unit reorganized June 30, 1851 in the Kentucky Volunteer Militia in Louisville as the Louisville Legion. The Kentucky State Guard re-designated as the Kentucky National Guard in 1912, and the unit mustered into federal service once again at Fort Thomas in February 1917.