California Militia and National
Guard Unit Histories
Sotoyome Guard
Official or Other Names: Sotoyome Guard, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, California
Militia Location: Healdsburg, Sonoma County.
Mustered In:
February 16, 1859.
Date of Disbanding: 1860-1861 Inclusive dates of units papers: 1859-1860
Unit papers on file at the California
State Archives:
a. Organization Papers 5 documents (1859-1860)
b. Bonds 1 document (1859)
c. Correspondence (Unclassified letters) 5 documents (1859-1860)
d. Election Returns 1 document (1859)
e. Exempt Certificates, Applications for none
f. Muster Rolls, Monthly returns 3 documents (1860)
g. Oaths Qualifications none
h. Orders none
i. Receipts, invoices none
j. Requisitions none
k. Resignations none
l. Target Practice Reports none
m. Other none
Commanding Officers
L. A. Norton, Captain; Elected February
10, 1859; Commissioned February 16, 1859
R. M. Matheson, First
Lieutenant; Elected February 10, 1859; Commissioned February
16, 1859
History
The Sotoyome Guard was an independent military
company organized February 16, 1859, at Healdsburg, Sonoma County.
This company was formed during the period when great delay was
experienced in obtaining arms and equipment and according to the
Adjutant General's Report of 1861, there never were any arms issued
to the Sotoyome Guard. As a way out of the difficulty, and wishing
to have his company trained, Captain Norton borrowed arms from
the Petaluma Guard who were in
the service of the State at that time. Even though the new company
was able to obtain arms for drill purposes, the members received
a discouraging blow when a fire which nearly destroyed the entire
town in the fall of 1860, burned the armory including the borrowed
equipment.
Captain Norton advised the Adjutant General
in the latter part of 1860, that the membership of his company
was falling off rapidly, and according to the Adjutant Generals
Report of 1861, no returns had been received by that office and
the Sotoyome Guard was therefore, considered a disbanded unit
(1)
Footnotes
(1) Adjutant
General Report, 1861, page 128
This history was written in
1940 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in conjunction
with the office of the Adjutant General and the California State
Library
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