1st Battalion of Veteran Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 1st Battalion of Veteran Infantry was a California
Volunteer infantry
battalion
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States.
This battalion was organized at Franklin
, Texas
under the command of Major Joseph Smith, (formerly of 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
) between November and December, 1864, by consolidating the veterans of the 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
, into two companies, which became Companies A and B, and consolidating the companies of the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry into five companies, which became Companies C, D, E, F, and G, of the battalion. On March 16, 1865 a Company F was broken up for the purpose of distributing the men among the other companies, due to the difficulty in obtaining recruits to keep up all the companies to the minimum required by law. The same order directed Colonel Rigg (formerly of 1st California Infantry) to assume command with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, with headquarters at Fort Craig
. The battalion was mustered out in September 1866.
When this battalion was mustered out in September 1866, officers and members who wished to be mustered out in California were consolidated into a company, under Captain William F. French, First Lieutenant Robert Edmiston, and Second Lieutenant William Oman and marched to the Presidio, San Francisco, where they arrived December 28, and were mustered out on December 31, 1866. The men of this company mustered out at the Presidio were accounted for in the individual record as having been "discharged at San Francisco, December 31, 1866, by final muster out of the regiment."
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Volunteer infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States.
This battalion was organized at Franklin
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
under the command of Major Joseph Smith, (formerly of 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
The 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, attached to the Department of the Pacific and Department of New Mexico....
) between November and December, 1864, by consolidating the veterans of the 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
1st California Infantry
The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States.-History:...
, into two companies, which became Companies A and B, and consolidating the companies of the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry into five companies, which became Companies C, D, E, F, and G, of the battalion. On March 16, 1865 a Company F was broken up for the purpose of distributing the men among the other companies, due to the difficulty in obtaining recruits to keep up all the companies to the minimum required by law. The same order directed Colonel Rigg (formerly of 1st California Infantry) to assume command with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, with headquarters at Fort Craig
Fort Craig
Fort Craig was a U.S. Army fort located along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, near Elephant Butte Lake State Park and the Rio Grande in Socorro County, New Mexico....
. The battalion was mustered out in September 1866.
When this battalion was mustered out in September 1866, officers and members who wished to be mustered out in California were consolidated into a company, under Captain William F. French, First Lieutenant Robert Edmiston, and Second Lieutenant William Oman and marched to the Presidio, San Francisco, where they arrived December 28, and were mustered out on December 31, 1866. The men of this company mustered out at the Presidio were accounted for in the individual record as having been "discharged at San Francisco, December 31, 1866, by final muster out of the regiment."
Commander
- Major Joseph Smith November 1864 - March 16, 1865
- Lieutenant Colonel Edwin A. Rigg, March 16, 1865 - September 20, 1866.
Company assignments
- Headquarters: Franklin, Texas November 1864 - February 1866. Mustered out at Los Pinos, New MexicoLos Pinos, New MexicoLos Pinos, New Mexico is a ghost town in what is now Bosque Farms, New Mexico in Valencia County, New Mexico.Los Pinos was a Spanish land grant dating from 1716, originally known as Bosque del Pino , or Los Pinos.-External Links:**...
, September 20, 1866. - Company A: Mustered out at Fort Union, New Mexico, September 9, 1866.
- Company B: Garrison at Fort CummingsFort CummingsFort Cummings , , a former U. S. Army post located near Cooke's Springs, in Luna County, New Mexico. It is located 20 miles northeast of Deming, New Mexico.-Cooke's Springs:...
, April 1865 - August 1866, Mustered out at Los Pinos, N. M., September 15, 1866. - Company C: Mustered out at Santa FeSanta Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, N. M., September 17, 1866. - Company D: Mustered out at Los Pinos, N. M., September 15, 1866.
- Company E: Mustered out at Los Pinos, N. M., September 15, 1866.
- Company F: Formed at Las Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, November 30, 1864. Disbanded at Fort CummingsFort CummingsFort Cummings , , a former U. S. Army post located near Cooke's Springs, in Luna County, New Mexico. It is located 20 miles northeast of Deming, New Mexico.-Cooke's Springs:...
, March 16, 1865. Soldiers distributed to other companies. - Company G: Mustered out at Los Pinos, N. M., September 15, 1866.
- January 1866. While six men of the company were performing daily duty—cutting wood for this garrison at Oak Grove, about five miles distant, on the seventeenth instant—they were surprised and fired upon by Apache Indians. The number of Indians was estimated at about forty or more. Four men were killed, and two escaped — Privates John H. Matthews and Nathaniel B. Goldsberry, the latter with an arrow wound in his hip. Private Matthews displayed exemplary courage in defending himself, as well as virtually saving the life of Goldsberry, who was scarcely able to render any defense. One Indian was killed and indications showed others wounded.