Mariposa Battalion was a California State Militia unit formed in 1851 to defeat the

Ahwahnechee The Ahwahnechee are a Native American people who traditionally lived in the Yosemite Valley and still live in surrounding area. They are the seven tribes of Yosemite Miwok, Northern Paiute, Kucadikadi Mono Lake people. As one of the most documen ...

and Chowchillas in the

Mariposa War The Mariposa War (December 1850 - June 1851), also known as the Yosemite Indian War, was a conflict between the United States and the indigenous people of California's Sierra Nevada in the 1850s. The war was fought primarily in Mariposa County a ...

, a part of the

California genocide The California genocide was the killing of thousands of indigenous peoples of California by United States government agents and private citizens in the 19th century. It began following the American Conquest of California from Mexico, and the ...

. After a force under

Mariposa County Mariposa County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,131. The county seat is Mariposa. It is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, north of Fresno, east of ...

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

James Burney was found unequal to the task of defeating the Native Californians, Burney made an appeal to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John McDougal John McDougal (c. 1818 – March 30, 1866) was an American politician who served as the second Governor of California from January 9, 1851 until January 8, 1852. Prior to this, he served from 1849 to 1851 as the first Lieutenant Governor of Cal ...

for help. This led to authorizing an organization of two hundred men into the Mariposa Battalion. The Mariposa Battalion was mustered 12 February 1851. Sheriff Burney was the first choice for the

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

to command the unit, but Burney declined due to his other responsibilities in Mariposa. Instead, James D. Savage was chosen as major, primarily due to his scouting abilities. The battalion was divided into three companies: Company A commanded by John J. Kuykendall, with seventy men; Company B under John Boling, with seventy-two men; and Company C, under William Dill, with fifty-five men. Other officers elected included M. B. Lewis as Adjutant, A. Brunson as surgeon and Vincent Hailor as guide. A camp was established from the town of Mariposa near Savage's Agua Fria

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

. From the camp, the battalion entered the

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...

and burned Native American villages and food supplies and forcibly relocated people from their homes in the valley. To Tu Ya "Maria" Lebrado Ydrte was one of the survivors and later retold the story of the massacre.

References

External links

California and the Indian Wars: Mariposa Indian War, 1850-1851, by Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Hasse

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20010507133004/http://www.nahc.ca.gov/califindian.html Short Overview of California Indian History Battalions Native American history of California History of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Ethnic cleansing in the United States Military history of California Militias Miwok History of Mariposa County, California Wars between the United States and Native Americans {{US-mil-hist-stub

See also

References

External links