William A. McCleave (1825 – February 3, 1904) was an Irish-born American soldier and officer in the U.S. Army who served in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

and 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 ...

Biography

William McCleave was born in northern

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1825. Losing his wife and child in the Great Famine, he immigrated to the United States in 1850. He went to California and enlisted in the 1st U.S. Regiment of Dragoons. He served in Company K under Captain

James H. Carleton James Henry Carleton (December 27, 1814 – January 7, 1873) was an officer in the US Army and a Union general during the American Civil War. Carleton is best known as an Indian fighter in the Southwestern United States. Biography Carleton wa ...

. Within the next decade he reached the rank of First Sergeant. In 1861, he served as camel herder for the

United States Camel Corps The United States Camel Corps was a mid-19th-century experiment by the United States Army in using camels as pack animals in the Southwestern United States. Although the camels proved to be hardy and well suited to travel through the region, th ...

and delivered 31 camels from

Fort Tejon Fort Tejon in California is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854, until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon (''La Cañada de las Uvas'') between the San Emigdio Mountains and ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. William McCleave, Civil War hero, established a military dynasty
from berkeleyheritage.com accessed April 10, 2017 After the

began, McCleave was named Colonel and was ordered to recruit a cavalry regiment in California. However, only a battalion of five companies could be organized at that time and he was made a captain in what would eventually become the

1st California Cavalry Regiment The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first formed of five companies as 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry between August and October 31, ...

instead. He commanded Company A and established

Camp Carleton Camp Carleton was the largest of several military camps to be maintained at various times in the vicinity of San Bernardino. It was established in the fall of 1861 by Captain William McCleave, William A. McCleave and a detachment of the 1st Californ ...

before moving out to Arizona. There, on March 6, 1862, he was captured by

Sherod Hunter Sherod Hunter (March 5, 1834 – ?) was the commander of the Confederate unit operating against Union Army forces in present-day Arizona during the American Civil War. He later commanded various Confederate cavalry units elsewhere in the Trans-M ...

and his

Arizona Rangers The Arizona Rangers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, noncommissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the US, state of Arizona. In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Leg ...

. He was exchanged for two lieutenants four months later. He was promoted to major in January 1863 and spent the rest of the war fighting Indians in New Mexico. When it ended, he was a

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Lieutenant Colonel and commanded

Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...

. McCleave was mustered out on October 19, 1866; commanding the regiment at that time. Having already accepted a commission in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

, he therefore became a Second Lieutenant in the 8th U.S. Cavalry. He retired in 1879 as a captain. He had married Marry Crooke in 1872, eventually fathering six children, and after his retirement they settled in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. There he dealt real estate and commanded the Veterans Home of California Yountville. The freemason died on February 3, 1904. He was outlived by his widow, one daughter and his four sons (three of whom would serve in the army as well).

References

External links

* 1825 births 1904 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish emigrants to the United States Irish soldiers in the United States Army People of California in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army officers American military personnel of the Indian Wars Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery People from Berkeley, California {{US-mil-bio-stub