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...
Confederates In California - Part 7: The Flames Fade
Not exactly a “Confederate“ unit, The
Mason-Henry Gang is worth mentioning. They
were a band of outlaws hiding behind the pseudo-respectability of the secessionist cause, calling themselves “Confederate” soldiers. The gang "formed up" around the San
Joaquin Valley in October of 1864, led by John Mason and James Henry, using the financial patronage of Judge George Belt, a local Copperhead with dreams of
establishing a "Pacific Republic" and using "partisan ranger"
gangs as the means.
These "Confederates" committed their first crime on November 10th
1864, murdering a man named Robinson, a vocal supporter of the
Union, and a stagecoach stop keeper on the Butterfield Line in Elkhorn. It was alleged that Robinson had insulted "southern
womanhood". The gang sought and found him walking home a few miles from his residence. They confronted him on the alleged slur,
forced him to kneel and ordered him to swear he had never made such a remark. Robinson complied, but the gang shot him
dead, saying he was “nothing but a
damned black Republican and should die”. Moving along the stagecoach route,
The gang killed another keeper, Joseph Hawthorne, simply because he sided with
the Union. Word spread
and the Gang became known as “The Copperhead Murderers”.
The Governor of California offered a reward of $500.00 per man for their capture. In the summer of 1865, well after the War had ended, these criminals continued to be active in the Central Valley. Two companies of the Native Californian Calvary searched in vain, along with a small group of nine soldiers and five citizens who were just as unsuccessful, in part because die-hard secessionists were providing protection. By mid-1865, the gang had moved their headquarters into the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. On September 14th, the gang's whereabouts were betrayed to Ben Matthews, the San Bernardino Sheriff. A posse was formed, and the hideout in San Jacinto Canyon was raided. James Henry was killed, but James Mason escaped. Mason attempted to organize another group of “partisan rangers”, but in April of 1866, when he was gunned down by Ben Hayfield “an Indian fighter of some repute” gunned him near Fort Tejon for a $500.00 reward[1].
The Governor of California offered a reward of $500.00 per man for their capture. In the summer of 1865, well after the War had ended, these criminals continued to be active in the Central Valley. Two companies of the Native Californian Calvary searched in vain, along with a small group of nine soldiers and five citizens who were just as unsuccessful, in part because die-hard secessionists were providing protection. By mid-1865, the gang had moved their headquarters into the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. On September 14th, the gang's whereabouts were betrayed to Ben Matthews, the San Bernardino Sheriff. A posse was formed, and the hideout in San Jacinto Canyon was raided. James Henry was killed, but James Mason escaped. Mason attempted to organize another group of “partisan rangers”, but in April of 1866, when he was gunned down by Ben Hayfield “an Indian fighter of some repute” gunned him near Fort Tejon for a $500.00 reward[1].
Obviously, the Mason-Henry Gang was not a Confederate unit. They were
nothing more than a band of thugs. They hid behind the guise of the Confederacy, using the War as an excuse. Their modus
operandi was murder and gratuitous violence. However, they exhibit the
lengths to which some secessionists would go to further the Confederate cause, funding and assisting those who would embrace crime and mayhem, all for the dream of a Confederacy that stretched from
sea to shining sea...
In
the end...
California, North and South, was solidly Union. Secessionist sentiment did
run high, but never manifested to the point where California was in danger of
falling into the lap of Jefferson Davis.
There is no evidence Confederate activity in the State did anything more
than cause a nuisance. Perhaps Brewer
said it best in 1861:
“…the
state is overwhelmingly Union.
Flags stream from nearly every church steeple in the city—the streets,
stores, and private houses are gay with them—but all are the Stars and
Stripes—a Palmetto would not live an hour in the breeze…”[2]
With the surrender of Lee
and the Army of Northern Virginia in April of 1865, and the final act of presidential assassination, secessionists and Confederates in California all but ceased to exist. News of Lincoln's death was immediately telegraphed to the West Coast, and in a final commentary, San Francisco became the first city in the State, if not the Nation, to decorate its streets with black
mourning crepe...
*****
1. Phil Reader, Copperheads, Secesh Men, and Confederate Guerillas, Pro-Confederate Activities in Santa Cruz County during the Civil War, Part 3: The Mason-Henry Gang
2. William H. Brewer, Up and down California in 1860-1864 (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1966), p. 119