The 1st Regiment of Washington Territory Volunteer Infantry (or 1st Washington Territory Volunteers) was a unit of infantry raised by the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

for service 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 ...

Service

Under Colonel Justus Steinberger, organization for a three-year regiment began on 19 October 1861, with recruiting taking place within the territory as well as

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 ...

. Company A, B, C and D were organized at

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

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 ...

, California, January to April, 1862. By May 1862, four companies had been mustered, with 17 officers and 317 men.Adj Gen Rept, Schedule A Ten companies would eventually be raised, being mustered in from the end of March until December 1862. The majority of the volunteers would muster in at Alcatraz Island (Co A-E, G, and H), two others at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of the ...

(Co F and I) and one at

Fort Steilacoom ''For the adjacent park, see Fort Steilacoom Park'' Fort Steilacoom was founded by the U.S. Army in 1849 near Lake Steilacoom. It was among the first military fortifications built by the U.S. north of the Columbia River in what was to become the ...

, Washington (Co K). The headquarters for the regiment was first at Fort Vancouver, and by July 1862 moved to

Fort Walla Walla Fort Walla Walla is a United States Army fort located in Walla Walla, Washington. The first Fort Walla Walla was established July 1856, by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Steptoe, 9th Infantry Regiment. A second Fort Walla Walla was occupied Septemb ...

. The companies, and/or detachments thereof, were stationed throughout the territories of Washington and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, and in Oregon. They were used for the protection of miners and settlers, emigrant parties and other travellers along the roads from the east, and participated with the

1st Oregon Cavalry The First Regiment Oregon volunteer Cavalry was a volunteer regiment in United States service Union army that was formed in response to the American Civil War. With men recruited in Oregon and some recruited in surrounding states, the regiment p ...

in expeditions against

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

Snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

, and other hostile Indian groups. They were also used to protect the

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

, an ally of 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 ...

, against those encroaching on their lands. When the three years terms of service had expired for the earlier formed companies and the men were mustered out, the remaining three companies (Co E, H, and I) became the 1st Battalion on 7 March 1865. Co H would be consolidated with Co E in July, and was the last of the former Washington regiment to muster out of service in December. As the companies were detached and participated in individual operations, their service records are best if listed separately: Company A
Organized 21 March 1862, they were stationed at Fort Walla Walla. Originally being recruited for a two-year term, some of the men were leaving or reenlisting in early 1864. Once replaced by a company of the 1st Oregon Infantry, they left to be mustered out around February 1865. Company B
Organized 1 April 1862, they were stationed at

Fort Colville Fort Colville was a United States Army, U.S. Army post in the Washington Territory located north of current Colville, Washington. During its existence from 1859 to 1882, it was called "Harney's Depot" and "Colville Depot" during the first two y ...

until 25 May 1864, when ordered to Fort Walla Walla.Dist of Oregon, Special Order No 75
/ref> They remained here until receiving orders for their return to Fort Vancouver for discharge in the spring of 1865. Company C
Organized 7 April 1862 and sent to Fort Colville for their term of service. They were mustered out at Fort Vancouver in April 1865. Company D
Organized 12 April 1862, they were stationed at

Fort Hoskins Fort Hoskins was one of three "forts" (which were actually unfortified posts) built by the U.S. Army to monitor the Coastal Indian Reservation in Oregon Territory (later the U.S. State of Oregon) in the mid- 19th century. The Fort Hoskins Site is ...

in Oregon by December 1862. Orders in March 1863 sent them to Fort Boise in Idaho Territory,Brig-Gen Alvord orders, 17 March 1863
/ref> where they remained stationed during their service. Company E
Mustered in at Alcatraz, they were ordered on 19 October 1862 to Camp Lapwai (would fall within the bounds of the Idaho Territory when created the following March), near the Nez Perce Agency.District of Oregon, Special Order No 76
/ref> Here, they were to build their encampment in what became

Fort Lapwai Fort Lapwai (1862–1884), was a Federal government of the United States, federal Fortification#North America, fort in present-day Lapwai, Idaho, Lapwai in North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, United States. On the Nez Perce people#Nez P ...

. By June 1864, they would be stationed at Fort Vancouver. Co H would be consolidated with them in July 1865, and they would be the last of the Washington Territory volunteers to be mustered out, doing so on 11 Dec 1865. Company F
Mustered at Fort Vancouver, the company was stationed at

Fort Dalles Fort Dalles was a United States Army outpost located on the Columbia River at the present site of The Dalles, Oregon, in the United States. Built when Oregon was a territory, the post was used mainly for dealing with wars with Native Americans. Th ...

, Oregon in 1863 and 1864. The majority of the troops were mustered out in July 1865. Company G
One of the three Washington companies encamped at Fort Boise, Idaho Territory in March 1863, previously being at Fort Steilacoom. Company H
Mustered at Alcatraz, they first encamped at Fort Walla Walla. On 25 May 1864, they transferred to Fort Vancouver. On 22 July 1865, they would be consolidated with Company E. Company I
Encamped at Ft Vancouver in December 1862, it transferred to Fort Boise in March 1863. With Company H, the 1st Oregon Cavalry and Nez Perce Scouts, they made an expedition to

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

in early June, 1863 to clear the area of the Snake Indians, who had been attacking travellers here for several years. As a band of emigrants, and their US Army escort, were due to pass through the Emigrant Road in August, additional troops were called on for protection. The pass safely made, Company I returned to Fort Boise, where it remained until its mustering out on 20 November 1865. Company K
Mustered in at Fort Steilacoom, where they were stationed during their enlistment.

References

* *Adj. Gen (1893). ''Biennal Report of Adjutant General of State of Washington For the Years 1891-1892''. Olympia, WA: O C White, State Printer. *

Notes

{{reflist

External links

*http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwatr.htm *https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/1st_Regiment,_Washington_Infantry_(Union) *http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/513 Units and formations of the Union Army from Washington Territory 1861 establishments in Washington Territory Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Service

See also

References

Notes

External links