The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States.

History

Most of the 1st California was recruited from August to October 1861, with the exception of Company K, which was organized the following February. Many of its companies were formed from companies of the

California Militia The California National Guard (Cal Guard) is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal–state military reserve force in the state of California. It has three components: the California Army National Guard, California Air N ...

taken intact into federal service others from individuals drawn from the militia. James H. Carleton served as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, Joseph R. West as lieutenant colonel and

Edwin A. Rigg Edwin Augustus Rigg (1822–1882), California Gold Rush#Forty-niners, 49er, was a military officer in the American Civil War and the Apache Wars. Early life Edwin Augustus Rigg was born January 15, 1822, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to ...

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. It came under the command of the

Department of the Pacific The Department of the Pacific or Pacific Department was a major command ( Department) of the United States Army from 1853 to 1858. It replaced the Pacific Division, and was itself replaced by the Department of California and the Department of O ...

(later it would come under the

Department of New Mexico The Department of New Mexico was a department of the United States Army during the mid-19th century. It was created as the 9th Department, a geographical department, in 1848 following the successful conclusion of the Mexican–American War, and re ...

). After some training at Camp Downy near

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

and Camp Latham near

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Companies D, F and G were sent to establish and garrison

Camp Wright Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station is a stage station in the western foothills of the Laguna Mountains, in northern San Diego County, California. It is located on California State Route 79, State Route 79, northwest of Warner Springs, Californ ...

in November 1861. Detachments from the camp captured Daniel Showalter's party near

Warner's Ranch Warner's Ranch, near Warner Springs, California, was notable as a way station for large numbers of emigrants on the Southern Emigrant Trail from 1849 to 1861, as it was a stop on both the Gila River Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail stagec ...

, November 20–29, 1861. In December, 1861, five companies of the regiment were sent to

Fort Yuma Fort Yuma was a fort in California located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was established in 1848. It served as a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861. The fort was retired from ...

on the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

and the others to various posts around Southern California. Colonel_Joseph_R

The regiment was assigned to the

California Column The California Column was a force of Union volunteers sent to Arizona and New Mexico during the American Civil War. The command marched over from California through Arizona and New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and as far east as El Paso, ...

, which was commanded by Carleton and composed of one infantry regiment (the 5th) and parts of two

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiments (the 1st and 2nd) of California volunteers and a company of Regular artillery. The Column was formed to drive the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Army of New Mexico The Army of New Mexico, also known as the Sibley Brigade, was a small Confederate field army in the American Civil War. It operated in Confederate Arizona and New Mexico Territory during the New Mexico Campaign in late 1861 and early 1862, before ...

out of the eastern part of the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

. Due to supply problems, the force did not start for New Mexico until February 1862. The 1st California Infantry saw fighting at the

Battle of Picacho Pass The Battle of Picacho Pass, also known as the Battle of Picacho Peak, was an engagement of the American Civil War on April 15, 1862. The action occurred around Picacho Peak, northwest of Tucson, Arizona. It was fought between a Union cavalr ...

(only Company I) and the

Battle of Apache Pass The Battle of Apache Pass was fought in 1862 at Apache Pass, Arizona, in the United States, between Apache warriors and the Union volunteers of the California Column. It was one of the largest battles between the Americans and the Chiricahu ...

(this battle was against

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

, not Confederates). During the battle sergeant O'Brien and private John Bar were killed. The regiment eventually moved to

Fort Craig Fort Craig was a U.S. Army fort located along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, near Elephant Butte Lake State Park and the Rio Grande in Socorro County, New Mexico. The Fort Craig site was approximately 1,050 feet east-west by 600 feet nor ...

1st_California_Infantry_Regiment_Company_I_recruited_add

For the remainder of the war, the 1st California Infantry was engaged in garrison duty dispersed in posts across New Mexico Territory and Texas and fighting

and

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

Indians in these places and in

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

. The regiment was mustered out on October 21, 1866.

Commanders

* Colonel James H. Carleton August 19, 1861 - June 1, 1862 * Colonel Joseph R. West June 1, 1862 - April 1864 * Colonel

April 1864 - December 1864

Flags

At the start of the war pecial order, No. 2.'' was issued by WM. C. Kibbe to help outline the design for California regimental flags.''Daily Alta California'', 2 September 1861 "''The first or national color for Infantry shall be the same as that described for the garrison flag of the United States Army, with this exception: the name and number of the regiment shall be embroidered with silver on the centre strips''." The national flag presented to the regiment on 16 September 1861, was made with Kibbe's orders in mind. The flag is now stored in the state's capitol. Company C's flag was made by Laura Meek and presented to the company's captain in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

. The flag would be carried for three years. When the California Column entered

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, this flag was carried at the front. It was the first Stars and Stripes to be flown over Fort Breckinridge after it was recaptured from Confederate forces. It is now in the state's capitol. Company D's

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

was made by the women of San Jose and presented to the company on August 8, 1861. It would later be flown over their officer's quarters while at Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station. In 1864 when the company's enlistment expired the men headed home and took their flag with them. While on their trip back home near Fort Yuma one of the men died, soon his comrades draped black fabric around the flag as a sign of mourning. Company E was presented a "''Banner''" by the members of the Ladies' Association in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

on August 17, 1861. Company I received a "..''magnificent silk American flag''" made by the women of Marysville on July 4, 1861. Then two months later they were presented with a "''..beautiful silk flag''" by the Treasury Department. One of the regiment's flank markers is stored in

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

. File:1st California Infantry Regiment Flag.jpg, Regiment's National flag File:Company C, 1st California Infantry flag.jpg, Company C National flag

Company assignments

* Headquarters: At Camp Union from September 1861 to March 1862 when it moved to

and then

Drum Barracks Drum Barracks was the Union Army's headquarters for Southern California and New Mexico during the Civil War. It consisted of 19 buildings on 60 acres (240,000 m2) in what is now Wilmington, with another 37 acres (150,000 m2) near the waterfron ...

before joining the

's march across southern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. There it occupied

Franklin, Texas Franklin is a city in, and the county seat of, Robertson County, Texas, United States. It is within the Brazos Valley, on the cusp of the East and Central Texas regions. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,614. The original name ...

until the regiment was mustered out in December 1864. * Company A, Formed largely from men of the ''California Volunteers'', California Militia of Oroville. * Company B, Formed largely from men from the ''Marion Rifles'' and other militia companies in San Francisco and others recruited at Camp Latham, near

. * Company C, Formed from the ''Amador Mountaineers'', California Militia,

. * Company D, Formed from the ''San Jose Volunteers'', California Militia, San Jose. * Company E, Formed from the ''Washington Rifles'', California Militia, Sacramento City & County. * Company F, Formed from the ''Sierra Greys'', California Militia, La Porte. * Company G, Formed from ''Company "H"'', California Militia from

Nevada City, California Nevada City is the county seat of Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Sacramento, California, Sacramento, southwest of Reno, Nevada, Reno and northeast of San Francisco. The population was 3,152 as of the 2020 United States ...

. * Company H, Formed largely from men from San Francisco. * Company I, Formed largely from men from the ''Marysville Rifles'' of Marysville. * Company K, Formed largely from men from San Francisco.

Notable members

* Sergeant George Hand, Company G, wrote a book about the march from California through Arizona calle
The Civil War in Apacheland

References

California Military History Museum, Regiments of the California Volunteers in Federal Service, 1st Regiment of Infantry

Military History Online, The Advance of the California Column to Arizona and New Mexico.
* Masich, Andrew E., ''The Civil War in Arizona: the Story of the California Volunteers, 1861-65; '' University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, 2006).

''www.militarymuseum.org''. * ''The Civil War in Apacheland: Sergeant George Hand's Diary : California, Arizona, West Texas, New Mexico, 1861-1864'', by George O. Hand

External links

*
THE AFFAIR AT MINTER’S RANCH
{{DEFAULTSORT:1st California Infantry Regiment Units and formations of the Union army from California Military units and formations of the United States in the Indian Wars Military units and formations established in 1861 1861 establishments in California Military units and formations disestablished in 1866 1866 disestablishments in the United States