The 8th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry 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 mar ...

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 Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. Raised in the last year of the war, it spent its entire term of service serving in posts around

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water f ...

, and on the

Columbia River The Columbia River ( Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia ...

, attached to the

Department of the Pacific The Department of the Pacific or Pacific Department was a major command (Department) of the United States Army from 1853 to 1858. It replaced the Pacific Division, and was itself replaced by the Department of California and the Department of Or ...

, before mustering out in late 1865.

History

The regiment was mustered into Federal service on March 31, 1865 under the command of

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

officer Colonel Allen L. Anderson, attached to the

District of California The District of California was a Union Army command department formed during the American Civil War. The district was part of the Department of the Pacific, the commander of the department also being District commander. The district was created ...

in the

. It was the last California regiment raised under the congressional act of July 1864, and had a total enrollment of 960 in ten companies. Its headquarters was initially located 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 pri ...

but moved to Fort Point in April. The companies of the regiment were raised during late 1864 and early 1865: Company A in

Watsonville Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, located in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 according to the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self- ...

, B in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, C in San Jose, D, E, and F in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, G in Marysville, H in

Calaveras County Calaveras County (), officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,292. The county seat is San Andreas. Angels C ...

, I in Yuba and Sierra Counties, and K in Placerville and Sacramento. They mustered in at San Francisco before the regimental headquarters: Company A on November 17, 1864, B on December 5, G on January 5, 1865, E on January 25, C on January 28, D and F on February 14, I on February 6, and K on February 25. Companies C, D, I, and K were stationed on Fort Point for their entire service, while A and B were initially stationed there. Companies E, G, and H were stationed on

for the duration of their service, while Company F was at Point Blunt on Angel Island. In February, Company A moved to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of 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 ...

, where it remained until August 17, when it transferred to

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 ...

in Oregon. While at Cape Disappointment, seven soldiers from the company participated in the rescue of seven survivors from the wrecked barque ''Industry'' on March 15. Company B was ordered to Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia in Oregon on April 17, and arrived there on April 26. Both companies became part of the

District of Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union. ...

upon their relocation. On October 11, Company B left to return to Fort Point for mustering out. The entire regiment was mustered out at Fort Point on October 24.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQEVAAAAYAAJ, title=The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, last=United States War Department, publisher=Government Printing Office, year=1897, volume=Series I, Volume L, Part II, location=Washington, D.C. Units and formations of the Union Army from California Military units and formations of the United States in the Indian Wars Watsonville, California Military units and formations established in 1865 1865 establishments in California Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography