The Seventh United States Infantry Regiment was first organized in 1798, but was mustered out of the service after only two years. On 3 May 1808 the Regiment was reorganized and has seen continuous service ever since. Among the first officers in the regiment was First Lieutenant Zachary Taylor, who was elected president of the United States forty years later.

The Regiment has earned over 74 battle streamers in engagements ranging from the first Indian Wars of 1811, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, other Indian Wars, the War with Spain, the Phillipine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom I and III.

Of the three regiments assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division during World War II, the 7th Infantry was the only one to be employed in the assault phase of every major operation of the "Rock of the Marne" division. It ended that war by capturing Berchdesgarden, Adolph Hitler's private retreat.

In 1948 the Regiment was stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where it remained until alerted for the Korean War in the summer of 1950. Landing in Wonsan, North Korea in November of that year, the Regiment sped northward to establish blocking positions to help in the evacuation of U.S. Marines and other U.S. Army elements caught in the vicious attacks by Chinese forces.

Within a short period of time the 7th Infantry earned the distinction of spending more days in Combat in Korea than any other regiment. Its fighting men earned eight Medals of Honor and over two thousand other awards for valor in twenty-three months of combat action.

Following the "Forgotten War" in Korea, the 3rd battalion of the 7th with attached units found itself waging eleven campaigns in Vietnam, which included the TET Offensive in 1969, and as part of the 199th Infantry Brigade. More recently, elements of all three Battalions saw action in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm.

The 1st Battalion remained assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division until the former's inactivation in 1992. From 1987 to 1996 the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were part of the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. With the return of the 3rd Infantry Division from Germany in 1996 to replace the deactivated 24th Division, the 7th infantry is part of the "Rock of the Marne" Division once again.

Former and current members of the Regiment have banded together to form the "7th Infantry Regiment Association" and meet at a national reunion on an annual basis.