Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Monument, Fayetteville

The memorial was dedicated on the bicentennial of the creation of the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Company, reportedly the oldest militia in continuous existence in the South and the second oldest in the country on the date of its dedication. The company was created as an independent militia and legalized by the Militia Act of 1792. The organization furnished volunteer troops to all foreign and domestic conflicts from the War of 1812 through World War I. In the Civil War, the F.I.L.I. joined up with the Confederate effort under the 1st North Carolina Volunteers. The company apparently refused to give up their Confederate gray uniforms following the war and enlisted in the Spanish-American War wearing their gray. The company also served in World War I as Company F of the 119th Infantry Regiment. Today the F.I.L.I. are a fraternal service organization and continue to honor their veterans annually.