The Civil War created a rip in our national fabric and re-wove it with historic change. It resonates to this day, and continues to influence and define how we, as Americans, view ourselves. It is arguably the most traumatic, transformative and talked about event in U.S. History. Despite all the research, all the interest, and all the experts, the American Civil War still has some secrets to reveal. This series will explore a Civil War that you weren't taught about in school...
The War that raged in the East was not unknown to the citizens of California. Even before the start, information flowed steadily into San Francisco via the Pony Express and subsequently, the telegraph. Californians were well aware of the national situation, and they were split politically in a representative micro-chasm of the Nation. The people of California had four choices, secession, separation, independence and neutrality[1]. William H. Brewer best exemplifies this early in 1863:
“…I
have long refrained from writing any politics, and will not say much now, but a
few words on affairs here may be of interest.
This state is as loyal as any eastern one. She must be so. Secession would be a yet greater folly than
with the southern states. With an immense
territory, with a population of less than a million--one-half of which is in a
district embracing only one-tenth of the state, the remainder scattered over a
territory of over 160,000 square miles, with over 600 miles of seacoast—she
would be as an infant; a tenth-rate power could annoy her and crush her
resources. Yet, there are many
Secessionists—enough to fill the minds of loyal citizens with just cause for
anxiety. These may be divided into three
classes: the first, small yet formidable, of desperadoes, who have nothing but
their worthless lives to lose, and might gain something by robbery in case of
an outbreak; second, a class of southern descent, whose sympathies are with the
South, who do not wish to see civil war, yet who would glory in the fall of the
Republic. The third, and last, is the
largest, and comprises a considerable party, mostly the Breckenridge part of
the Democratic party, who at present control and really represent the
Democratic party in this state. Theses call
themselves Union men, but deny that the government has any power to put down
rebellion constitutionally, that in fact the United States was always a
“confederacy,” but never a nation. Some
of these are active Secessionists, but most are only talking men, who wield
some power. Judge Terry, who killed
Broderick, you remember, and is now at Richmond, is an example of this class,
and many other men who once held office.
Were they in power now it is not probable that they would commence
active hostility against the Union, but they would throw every means in their
power against the general government.
Some of their papers openly rejoice over southern victories or northern
defeats, and all of them put the worst possible light on all northern matters,
such as praising the bravery of the southern generals and men, and implying the
cowardice of the northern ones. But the
Union element is vastly in the majority, unconditionally loyal…”[2]
California remained strongly
pro-Union, by and large, throughout the course of the War because the majority of citizens were loyal. Confederate activity did occur throughout the
conflict (and shortly thereafter), but it never jeopardized California’s star on
the flag of the U.S.
Secessionists and Confederates in
California were small in number, their actions even smaller. Despite the insignificance, they did pose a
large enough threat to tie up military resources, ensuring the West Coast
remained firmly in the Federal Government's hands.
California For The Confederacy
It was no secret that the Confederacy
desired California. The South coveted California’s gold, cattle, horseflesh,
arms and manpower. As late as October 1st,
1862, the Confederate Government was making overtures to California and Oregon,
as well as the Territories of Washington and Nevada, proposing that these
regions secede from the United States and enter into an "offensive and
defensive" league with the Confederacy:
“Joint
Resolutions, Recognizing the practical neutrality of the States of California
and Oregon, and the Territories of Washington and Nevada, suggesting the
advantages which would result to the people thereof, upon an immediate
assertion, on their part, of their independence of the united States, and
proposing, upon their so doing, the formation of a League, offensive and
defensive, between said States and Territories and the Confederate States of
America. Whereas, during the pending war between the United States and the
Confederate States of America, the good people of California and Oregon, and of
the various Territories beyond the Rocky Mountains seem, in general, to have
manifested but little disposition to take an active part in said war against
their late fellow citizens of the slaveholding States of the South, influenced,
as there is reason to believe, as well by a true regard for justice and
humanity as by an enlightened sense of their own true policy; And whereas,
It is most manifest that the day is not far distant when the people beyond the
Rocky Mountains must inevitably become a separate and independent republic, by
force of circumstances of a geographical and permanent character
impossible to be resisted, as was predicted by Mr. Jefferson before the close
of the last century, and by other distinguished American statesman, scarcely
less sagacious, since that period: and whereas, It is obvious that the
States and Territories alluded to, by at once asserting their independence of
the Government of the United States, would realize great and inestimable
advantages, among which may be reckoned the following: 1. Relief from the
onerous taxation to which they are now subjected, amounting annually, as is
supposed, directly and indirectly, to the sum of fifteen millions of dollars;
2. The exclusive control and enjoyment of their vast mineral treasures: 3. A
permanent monopoly of the navigation of the Pacific ocean, and the commerce of
China, Japan and the Indies; And whereas, It is well ascertained that
far the most convenient route for communication by railway between the Pacific
and Atlantic coasts, would be along a line extending through some half dozen or
more of the most populous and wealthy States of this Confederacy, thus
indicating a close commercial connection, in future, between the grand
Confederacy which may be expected shortly to spring into existence along the
Pacific slope of this continent and the States of this Confederacy; Therefore,
be it Resolved by the Congress of the Confederate States of America,
That ____________ be appointed a committee on the part of the House, and
____________ on the part of the Senate, empowered to draft a suitable address
to the good people of California, Oregon and the Territories aforesaid,
embodying the views herein presented, which address, after being agreed upon
and subscribed by said joint committee, on the part of the two Houses of
Congress, shall be handed to the President, who, if he shall approve the same,
shall be requested to transmit it to its proper place of destination,
accompanied by such additional communication as he shall deem right and
judicious at as early a period as practicable.
Resolved further, That it would be not at all improper to embody
in said address a suggestion of the expediency of hereafter establishing a League,
offensive and defensive, between the Confederate States of America and such
of said States and Territories beyond the Rocky Mountains as shall determine to
assert their separate independence, embodying such stipulations in regard to
future commercial intercourse as might prove mutually advantageous to the
parties thereto.”[3]
By enticing the States and
Territories of the West Coast to secede and form themselves into a pro-Southern
territorial coalition, the Confederate States would gain a plethora of natural
resources, under the guise of “exclusive control”. It would boost the war effort against the
U.S. and deprive valuable commodities in the war against the South. Another advantage would be a proposed
transcontinental railroad from the Confederate States to the West Coast. This was prominently mentioned in the Bill,
and would have given the Confederacy unlimited access to the Pacific, trade
outlets and inlets for goods that were much needed for the war effort, and
naval opportunities by the establishing a Confederate "Pacific Squadron".
The Confederacy's California dreams
were never materialized. Despite the
desires, by late 1862 California was well secured by the United States. In California itself, strong Union sentiment
on the part of the Republican Party (members of which were not beneath
fabricating wild notions of a grand Confederate plot to seize the State) had
weakened the Democratic Party, which had some secessionist support. Although the Confederacy desired tying
themselves to a Pacific Empire by rail, it was the United States, along with
stong Union support within the "Golden State" that approved the
measure. By lobbying to “hasten federal
approval of a transcontinental railroad, and to assure adequate appropriations
for local defense”, California's pro-Union faction sealed the Empire of the
Pacific's fate for good[4].
By 1865, California had provided more
than 16,000 volunteers for the cause of Union, not secession [5]. Most of the State's volunteer cavalry and infantry
regiments were raised in 1861 and early 1862:
The First Regiment of Cavalry -
raised between August 15th and October 31st 1861
The Second Regiment of Cavalry -
raised between August 14th and October 30th 1861
The First Regiment of Infantry was finished
organizing and was completely mustered into federal service by January 10th
1862
The Second Regiment of Infantry - raised
between September 2nd and December 31st 1861
The Third Regiment of Infantry -
raised between October 31st and December 31st 1861 The
Fourth Regiment of Infantry - between September 21st 1861 and
February 1st 1862 The Fifth Regiment of Infantry was completely
formed by October 1861[6]
...many of these 16,000 or so
volunteers were under federal arms, within the boundaries of California, before
the Confederacy even issued their plan to bring the Pacific coast within the
secession fold.
Supplies...Ready Made On The Hoof
At the very least, he Confederacy
hoped to receive at least some surreptitious supplies from California, mainly
horse and cattle, particularly the southern part of the state, where sympathy
for the South was greater. There was
tremendous secessionist/Confederate support in the southern counties of the
State. Combine this sentiment with the
many local ranches of the area, and the threat of horse and cattle theft (for
the purpose of sale to the Confederacy) was real. In San Bernardino, for example, horses (and
cattle) could be easily stolen, taken down into Mexico and driven into Texas
where they could become Confederate cavalry mounts, or put to other military use[7]. The Los Angeles Star makes mention of individuals
who would pose as miners but had other nefarious intentions:
“We
have been informed that large numbers of men are coming to this section of the country
ostensibly for the purpose of going to the newly (alleged) discovered mines in
the vicinity of Warner’s ranch; and as it is states that there are no mines in
that section of the country, and many of these visitors are without apparent
means of reaching that distant locality, it has been suggested to us to caution
our rancheros to keep a strict watch on their horses and cattle.”[8]
Warner’s Ranch is on the road to
Yuma, California, which leads directly into Sonora, Mexico. On November 2nd, 1861, Lieutenant-Colonel
John R. Baylor, self-proclaimed Confederate military governor of the
Confederate Arizona Territory, wrote a letter that shows the Confederates were
paying close attention to the rich advantages that California had to offer...especially
livestock:
“ …I beg to call your attention to some matter of information that may be
of service to the Government at this time.
California is on the eve of a revolution. There are many Southern men there who would
cheerfully join us if they could get to us, and they could come well armed and
mounted. I would ask permission to get
all such men as choose to join us, and would further ask that some arrangement
for the purchase of horses in California be made. I could now buy the best of horses there for
less than $50 per head, and there are many Southern men who would sell them for
Confederate bonds…”[9]
This letter was forwarded to Richmond
(with the intention that it pass to the desk of the Confederate Secretary of
War) on November 25th, 1861 with this note:
“ …I have the honor to inclose herewith, for the information of the
Secretary of War, a communication from Lieut.-Col. John R. Baylor, First
Regiment Texas Mounted Rifles, informing that California is on the eve of a
revolution, and recommending that the Southerners in that State be induced to
join the Confederate States Army…”[10]
The California flood and drought of
1862-64 intervened at a very mercurial moment, causing horses and cattle to
perish by the thousands and crushing large scale Confederate "rustling"
plans. If the weather had differed, perhaps
the Confederacy would have continued to place effort into "acquiring"
these California commodities, but as it stood, with this resource all but
decimated, and unavailable from 1862 on, so the South's hope in California
livestock effectively ended [11].
Muskets, Ammo, and Confederates
California was well armed. In 1860 the Federal Arsenal at Benicia had a
total of 53,044 long arms:
·
18,756 converted muskets (flintlock pieces that
had been converted to the percussion system)
·
2,650 Model 1842 muskets (the first percussion
piece adopted by the U.S. Government)
·
19,812 .69 caliber rifled muskets (converted
muskets that were originally smoothbore, but were updated by rifling)
·
7,252 Model 1855 rifled muskets
·
4,574 Model 1841 rifles
These figures don't take into account
the various other arms and accoutrements available to the State, such as
swords, lances, pistols, accoutrements, horse furniture and cannon [12].
California volunteer militia units drew
their arms directly from this Federal Arsenal.
There was controversy and concern over issuance of arms to militia
units, whose loyalties were questionable in the beginning months of the War, and
were thought to have secessionist/southern sympathy. James H. Carlton, soon to be the commanding
officer of the California Column, wrote a letter to John G. Downey, the
governor of California, expressing concerns over this particular issue:
Camp
Fitzgerald, near Los Angeles, Cal. June 18, 1861
To
His Excellency John G. Downey, Governor of California
Los
Angeles, Cal.
Sir: I have been informed, that it is probable a
party of persons about to leave Los Angeles for Texas, intend to remove beyond
the limits of California certain arms belonging to the State. I understand these arms include those
recently issued to the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles, as well as some
others. Bonds to shield the State of
California from loss in case these arms are not produced when required by the
State, have undoubtedly been given; but in these times the question of money
security is of little importance compared with that of the possession
of the arms themselves; more particularly if any contingency should arise
wherein they might be used against the Government of which California forms so
important a part. If these rumours have
good foundation, and Your Excellency as Commander-in-Chief of the Militia of
the State, have not in the vicinity a sufficient force to sustain the Civil
Authorities in the matter, I will cheerfully, with my command, lend you all
possible aid should it become necessary to protect, or to recover these arms by
force. And even should the contingency
arise that these arms shall be taken in spite of any precautions you may now
inaugurate for their additional security, if you will cause timely notice of
the fact to be communicated to me, pursuit shall be made by troops under my
command for their recovery. In the event
of your Excellency having no secure place where they may be kept – if
you request it, I will at once receive them in custody, and hold then subject
to your order.
I
have the honor to be, Your Excellency’s obt servent, James H. Carlton. Brevet
Major U.S. Army, Comg.[13]
There apparently was no reply to
Carlton’s letter. This shows that at
least one California secessionist/pro-Confederate militia unit left California
with their U.S. issued arms and it is assumed they entered into Confederate
military service [14].
It must have been known to the
Confederacy that a large cache of arms existed in the State. These arms, along
with their equipage, would be a welcome addition to the Confederacy's
arsenal. Carlton's letter shows the U.S.
military feared California could be a target for local secessionists/Confederates,
and possibly a high-priority target for the Confederacy itself. In the Baylor letter, mention is made of …many
Southern men there who would cheerfully join us if they could get to us…
and that …they could come well armed and mounted… and he is asking …permission
to get all such men as choose to join us…
This clearly shows that Confederate military forces and the Confederate
Government (due to Baylor's letter being forwarded on to Richmond), knew or at
least suspected, that a large force of Pro-Southern men existed in
California. Several areas in California
were hotbeds of secessionist/southern sentiment. In Southern California, Los Angeles, El
Monte, San Bernardino, Holcomb and Bear Valleys were prominent, along with
Visalia and San Jose in Northern California [15].
Holcomb Valley, a gold mining
settlement in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains) witnessed many
expeditions of “miners” who were outfitted and sent east, ostensibly to
search for new claims. These “miners”,
of course, were men traveling back east to join up and fight with the
Confederacy [16]. In the nearby, pro-Union town of San Bernardino,
a combined attack by secessionists and Indians was fully expected from that
pro-Confederate stronghold. Even in San Francisco,
which was predominantly Unionist, a secret society was engaged in recruiting men
and back East by steamer to join up fight for the South[17]. Pro-Confederate men were leaving to
fight for the Confederacy in the East, but would some stay and fight for the
South in California?
*****
1. Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, California and the Civil War, A Bibliographical
Essay (California Historical Society Quarterly, Volume XXXX, Number 4,
December 1961), p. 291
2. William H. Brewer, Up and down California in 1860-1864 (Berkeley and Los
Angeles: University of California Press, 1966), pp. 426-427
3. Confederate
House Bill, No. 3 (October 1st, 1862)
4. Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, California and the Civil War, A Bibliographical
Essay (California Historical Society Quarterly, Volume XXXX, Number 4,
December 1961), p. 293
5. Brig-Gen. Richard H. Orton, Records of California Men in the War of the
Rebellion, 1861 to 1867 (Sacramento: State Office, J.D. Young, Supt. State
Printing, 1890), p. 5
6. Ibid.
pp. 8, 9, 68, 168, 418, 595, 668
7. Leonard B. Waitman, Raids and Raiders of the San Bernardino Valley (San
Bernardino County Museum Quarterly, Volume XVIII, Number 1, Fall 1970), p. 14
8. Los
Angeles Star (September 14th, 1861)
9. Brig-Gen. Richard H. Orton, Records of California Men in the War of the
Rebellion, 1861 to 1867 (Sacramento: State Office, J.D. Young, Supt. State
Printing, 1890), p.15, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
in the War of the Rebellion, (Washington: Government Printing Office,
Volume 1, Part 4) p. 149
10. Ibid.
p. 15
11. Leonard B. Waitman, Raids and Raiders of the San Bernardino Valley (San
Bernardino County Museum Quarterly, Volume XVIII, Number 1, Fall 1970), pp. 14
-15
12. Frederick P. Todd, American Military Equipage, 1851-1872, Volume III
(Providence, RI.: Mowbray Company, 1978), p. 665
13. Joseph Marius Scammell, Military Units in Southern California, 1853-1862
(California Historical Quarterly, Volume XXIX, Number 3), pp. 229-230
14. Ibid, p. 229-230
15. History
of San Bernardino County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of its
Scenery, Farms, Residences, Public Buildings, Factories, Hotels, Business
Houses, Schools, Churches, Etc., from Original Drawings, Including Biographical
Sketches (San Francisco: Wallace W. Elliott & Co., 1883), p. 95, Phil
Reader, Copperheads, Secesh Men, and Confederate Guerillas, Pro-Confederate
Activities in Santa Cruz County during the Civil War, Part1: Introduction and
the Sand Packers (Retrieved May 7, 2002, from
http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/crime/copper1.shtml), William H. Brewer, Up
and down California in 1860-1864 (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of
California Press, 1966), p. 197
16. History
of San Bernardino County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of its
Scenery, Farms, Residences, Public Buildings, Factories, Hotels, Business
Houses, Schools, Churches, Etc., from Original Drawings, Including Biographical
Sketches (San Francisco: Wallace W. Elliott & Co., 1883), p. 95, George
William & Helen Pruitt Beattie, Heritage of the Valley, San Bernardino’s
First Century (Oakland: Biobooks, 1951) p. 382
17. Benjamin F. Gilbert, The Confederate Minority in California (California
Historical Society, Volume XX, 1941), p. 155