California State Military
DepartmentCalifornia State Military
DepartmentFour companies of the First Artillery Regiment
were called into service on April 11, 1882, in response to the
requests of the Mayor and Chief of Police of the City of Sacramento
for assistance in quelling a threatened riot. This community unrest
resulted from the murder of a prominent Sacramento citizen and
the desires of a mob, which surrounded the city prison, to forcibly
remove the alleged murderer. The Guardsmen, under the leadership
of Colonel T. W. Sheelion, Commander of the First Artillery Regiment,
were successful in frustrating the efforts of the mob and thus
assisted in the maintenance of law and order.