The 7th California Infantry Regiment was an
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
regiment in the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. It spent its entire term of service in the
western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
, attached to the
Department of the Pacific, serving in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
. They were known as the "Gold Diggers" in reference to the large number of recruits from the California's
"Mother Lode" region. Later, they were also called the "Hungry Seventh" for the privations they suffered in Arizona, particularly at
Fort Mason. The Regiment included many veterans of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
.
Regimental Flag
While the Regiment was being organized and trained at the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
,
Jonathan D. Stevenson
Jonathan Drake Stevenson (1800–1894) was born in New York; won a seat in the New York State Assembly; was the commanding officer of the First Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Mexican–American War in California; entered California mi ...
presented them with the regimental flag of the unit he commanded in the Mexican–American War: The 7th New York Volunteers. The Regiment continued to carry this flag throughout its service, and it flew over Fort Mason during their time there.
Company assignments
*Company A was organized at
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and commanded by Captain
James P. Olmstead until his death from brain congestion at
Fort Yuma in August, 1865 when command was assumed by Captain
James W. Bye. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to Fort Yuma in March, 1865, and finally
Fort McDowell, Arizona Territory in September, 1865.
*Company B was organized at
Marysville and commanded by Captain Alexander Gibson. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to
Tucson in May, 1865.
*Company C was organized at
Jackson and commanded by Captain
Walter S. Cooledge. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to
Fort Mojave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, at Beale's Crossing, near the head of t ...
in March, 1865.
*Company D was organized at
Dutch Flat and commanded by Captain
M.H. Calderwood. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in January, 1865, then to
Tubac, Arizona Territory in April, 1865, and
Fort Mason, Arizona Territory
Following the Gadsden Purchase, the United States Army sent Major Enoch Steen and four companies of the 1st U. S. Dragoons (now the 1st U. S. Cavalry) to occupy the former site of the Mexican Presidio de Calabasas. Major Steen arrived on Novemb ...
the following September.
*Company E was organized at
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and commanded by Captain
Hiram A. Messenger. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to
Tubac, Arizona Territory in April, 1865, and
Fort Mason, Arizona Territory
Following the Gadsden Purchase, the United States Army sent Major Enoch Steen and four companies of the 1st U. S. Dragoons (now the 1st U. S. Cavalry) to occupy the former site of the Mexican Presidio de Calabasas. Major Steen arrived on Novemb ...
the following September.
*Company F was organized at
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and commanded by Captain
John W. Owen. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in December, 1864, then to
Fort Yuma in June, 1865, then to
Fort McDowell, Arizona Territory and
Maricopa Wells
Maricopa Wells is a former place ( locale) situated in Pinal County, Arizona. It has an estimated elevation of above sea level. Historically, it was an oasis around a series of watering holes in the Sierra Estrella, eight miles north of present- ...
in September, 1865.
*Company G was organized at
Placerville and commanded by Captain
Thomas J. Heninger
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in October, 1864, then to
Tubac, Arizona Territory in May, 1865, and
Fort Mason, Arizona Territory
Following the Gadsden Purchase, the United States Army sent Major Enoch Steen and four companies of the 1st U. S. Dragoons (now the 1st U. S. Cavalry) to occupy the former site of the Mexican Presidio de Calabasas. Major Steen arrived on Novemb ...
the following September.
*Company H was organized at
Bear Valley and commanded by Captain
James W. Smith. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in January, 1865, then to
Fort Yuma the following May.
*Company I was organized at
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
and commanded by Captain
George D. Kendall. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to
Fort Whipple, Arizona Territory the following May.
*Company K was organized at
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and commanded by Captain
James H. Shepard until his resignation in January, 1866. They were assigned to the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
in November, 1864, then to
Fort Yuma in March, 1865 then to
Fort McDowell, Arizona Territory the following May.
Service At Tubac and Fort Mason
In the Spring of 1865, the Regimental Headquarters and Companies D, E, and G were assigned to
Tubac, Arizona Territory. Though they were there primarily to operate against the
Apaches, they were also assigned the job of reinforcing the
International Line against potential incursions by the forces of the
Mexican Empire and its
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
allies. As part of the ongoing war of the
French Intervention, Imperialist forces had made recent advances into the neighboring Mexican State of
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, causing considerable alarm among officials in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
In September, the garrison was moved south to
Calabazas, a small settlement near the border where they established a post called Post at Calabasas, later renamed
Fort Mason. They were joined there by the
1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers. Shortly afterward, Sonora Governor
Ignacio Pesqueira
Ignacio Pesqueira García was a 19th-century Mexican general and politician. He was the Governor of Sonora over six times, with two of the six terms being an insurgent governor during the Second French intervention in Mexico.
Childhood
His par ...
, who had fled northward after his army had been destroyed in a series of battles with the Imperialists, arrived at the post with a small party seeking refuge.
Colonel Lewis put the post, his officers, and his men at the Governor's disposal.
Service at Fort Mason was generally considered miserable. Because of its somewhat swampy (by Arizona standards) location on the banks of the
Santa Cruz River, the men suffered from an epidemic which at one point rendered over half of them too sick for duty and led to at least 25 deaths. The post suffered from supply problems as well. These conditions caused construction of permanent buildings at the post to slow to a halt, leaving the men to live in tents and temporary brush shelters during their service there and generally curtailing operations against the Apaches. Participation in one campaign against the Apaches, for instance, was aborted by a lack of adequate shoes.
Despite this, the Seventh was, from time to time, able to put small expeditions into the field. On one such occasion, Captain
Hiram A. Messenger led a scouting party of 15 men into the
Huachuca Mountains in July, 1865. The detachment found itself surrounded and under attack by a reported 100 or 200 Apaches and escaped after a fortuitous rainstorm ended a fight that lasted over an hour and left two soldiers dead and one wounded.
[Hunt. Pgs. 143-144]
The Regiment was ordered back to
The Presidio in March, 1866 and was mustered out the following April and May.
See also
*
List of California Civil War Union units California State Volunteer Units 1861 – 1866
The following are California State Volunteer Units that were active between 1861 – 1866 serving in the Union Army, most west of the Rocky Mountains in place of Federal troops:
California Brigade
...
References
{{reflist
The Civil War Archive, Union Regimental Index, California The War of the Rebellion: Volume 35, Part 1 CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS ON THE PACIFIC COAST FROM JULY 1, 1862, TO JUNE 30, 1865. By United States. War Dept, Robert Nicholson Scott, Henry Martyn WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1897 Records of California men in the war of the rebellion 1861 to 1867, By California. Adjutant General's Office, SACRAMENTO: State Office, J. D. Young, Supt. State Printing. 1890. pp.688-719Pvt John Haines 7th California Infantry Find a grave memorial 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 1864
1864 establishments in California
Military units and formations disestablished in 1866