California Militia and National
Guard Unit Histories
Washington Continental Guards
(including the Washington Continental
Guard, Washington Light Infantry, Veteran Guard, Warren Guard,
Stratman Zouaves, and the Thompson Rifles)
Other or Official Titles:
Washington Continental Guards, 2nd Brigade,
California Militia (CM) (2)
After 1861, Washington Continental Guards,
Company D, 1st Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, CM (2)
After January 27, 1862, Washington Light
Infantry, Company D, 1st Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, CM
After 1866, Washington Light Infantry,
Company B, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, National Guard
of California (NGC)
After 1867, Veteran Guard, Company D,
1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, NGC
After 1871, Warren Guard, Company D, 1st
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, NGC
After 1873. Stratman Zouaves, Company
D, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, NGC
After 1877, Thompson Rifles. Company G,
Second Infantry, Second Brigade, NGC
Location: San
Francisco, San Francisco County
Mustered in:
December 15, 1855
Mustered out:
February 26, 1878
Papers on file at the California State
Archives:
a. Organization Papers 1 document (1855)
b. Bonds 5 documents (1855-1866)
c. Correspondence (Unclassified letters) 60 documents (1855-1879)
d. Election Returns 31 documents (1861-1875)
e. Exempt Certificates, Applications for none
f. Muster Rolls, Monthly returns 54 documents (1856-1880)
g. Oaths Qualifications 268 documents (1862-1879)
h. Orders none
i. Receipts, invoices 19 documents (1857-1878)
j. Requisitions 11 documents (1861-1878)
k. Resignations 24 documents (1865-1878)
l. Target Practice Reports 8 documents (1866-1879)
m. Other Public Property, 1 document (1868)
Certificate of Commission, 1 document (1863)
Commanding Officers
F. G. M. Fenn, Captain, Commissioned February
1856
A. H. Clarke, First Lieutenant, Commissioned February 1856
G. A. Glasure, Captain, Elected May 23, 1861, Commissioned June
27, 1861
G. D. Wallace, First Lieutenant, Elected May 23, 1861, Commissioned
June 27, 1861
James B. Storer, Captain, Elected January 23, 1862, Commissioned
January 30, 1862
R. D. Smith, First Lieutenant, Elected May 27, 1862, Commissioned
June 7, 1862
James B. Storer, Captain, Re-elected May 19, 1863
Alonzo H. Pennoyer, First Lieutenant Elected
January 15, 1863 Commissioned February 3, 1863
James B. Storer, Captain, Re-elected May 31, 1864
Alonzo H. Pennoyer, First Lieutenant,
Re-elected May 31, 1864
James B. Storer, Captain, Re-elected May 30, 1865
J. vi. Hurlburt, First Lieutenant , Elected
May 30, 1865, Commissioned June 7, 1865
James B. Storer, Captain, Re-elected September 18, 1866
John M. Hoyt, Captain Elected November
6, 1666, Commissioned November 13, 1866 (Resigned February 8,
1867)
John S. Souther, Captain Elected February 19, 1867, Commissioned
March 7, 1867 (Resigned October 22, 1867
John C. Jenkins, First Lieutenant Elected
September 18, 1866; Commissioned September 28, 1866 (Resigned
September 24, 1867)
James E. Hughes, Captain, Elected October 22, 1867, Commissioned
November 30, 1867 (Resigned January 7, 1868)
James N. Finan, Captain, Elected January 7, 1668, Commissioned
March 21,1867 (Resigned November 19, 1868)
Frederick Harrington, First Lieutenant, Elected September 24,
1867, Commissioned October 10, 1867 (Resigned January 7, 1868)
James Daupin, First Lieutenant, Elected January 7, 1868, Commissioned
March 21, 1868 (Resigned August 6, 1868)
James E. Hughes, First Lieutenant Elected November 18, 1868,
Commissioned December 12, 1868
James E. Hughes, Captain, Elected December 16, 1868, Commissioned:
December 28, 1868
James F. Ray, First Lieutenant, Elected
December 16, 1868, Commissioned: December 28, 1868 (Commission
revoked)
James O'Brien, First Lieutenant, Elected May 6, 1870, Commissioned,
September 7, 1870
James E. Hughes, Captain Re-elected March 2, 1871 (Resigned August
l, 1871)
Theodore M. Wate, First Lieutenant, Elected
March 14, 1871, Commissioned August 1, 1871
Theodore L. Wate, Captain, Elected January 11, 1872, Commissioned
January 18, 1872 (Resigned May 10, 1873)
Henry Smith, First Lieutenant, Elected January 11, 1872, Commissioned
January 18, 1872 (Resigned April 20, 1872)
James S. Swain, First Lieutenant, Elected May 11, 1872, Commissioned
May 18, 1872 (Resigned May 10, 1873)
John Stratman, Captain , Elected January 16, 1873, Commissioned
January 27, 1873
B. C. Mooney, First Lieutenant, Elected
June 10, 1873, Commissioned June 27, 1873 (Resigned February
17, 1875)
Frederick W. Pierce, Captain, Elected August 30, 1875, Commissioned
September 6, 1875
Henry Levy, First Lieutenant, Elected
August 30, 1875, Commissioned September 6, 1875 (Resigned May
21, 1877)
Frederick W. Pierce, Captain, Re-elected September 24, 1877
Charles T. Tripler, First Lieutenant,
Elected September 24, 1877, Commissioned October 11, 1877
Official History
A copy of the San Francisco
Daily News of December 11, 1855 contained a legal notice
reading thus:
County Court of the
County of San Francisco, State of California, SS
F. C. M. Fenn, Esquire is hereby authorized to take the proper
steps to organize the Military Company known as the Washington
Continental Guard pursuant to petition.
J. W. Freelon,
County Judge
Accordingly the Washington Continental Guard was organized on
December 15, 1855. In electing their first Captain, the polls
were opened on December twenty-second at 7 A. M. and closed at
9 P. M. at which hour a meeting was held. The vote resulted in
the unanimous election of F. C. M. Fenn, Captain and A. H. Clarke,
First Lieutenant. The other officers were elected in the usual
manner.
Under date of January
30, 1850, a letter to the Adjutant General by Captain Fenn reveals
that the company was busy drilling,but he urged the Adjutant
General to send .them muskets and equipment at an early date
as they planned to parade on February twenty second at a Washington
Birthday Celebration.
A letter of March 18, 1856, shows that the company was in possession
of arms belonging to the Sarsfield
Guard, led by Captain
Ryan, and wished to know if they were to retain the arms or would
they receive new ones from Headquarters. Captain Ryan had been
charged with unlawful use of the arms belonging to the Sarsfield
Guard, in that he permitted the men to take a rifle home for
the purpose of drilling. The Court Martial exonerated Captain
Ryan of any wrong doing, and it is assured the arms were returned,
since the Sarsfield Guard was one of the companies that remained
loyal to the Governor's Proclamation, declaring San Francisco
in a "state of Insurrection". On January 20, 1857,
Captain Fenn received forty new muskets and forty gun slings,
according to an Ordnance Receipt.
During the troublesome
days of June, July, and August 1856 in San Francisco when the
Vigilance Committee assumed control of affairs in that city,
the Continental Guard was one of the companies that aided the
Sheriff in protecting the life of James P. Casey from a mob desiring
to lynch him. . After the Governor's Proclamation was issued,
the company was loyal to their oath and served for three months,
guarding the arms and property of the State from seizure by the
Vigilantes. When the Vigilance Committee disbanded the latter
part of August and quiet was again restored, the Washington Continental
Guard was relieved of further active duties.
On January 24, 1857, Captain Fenn writes the Adjutant General
informing him that he was drilling twenty-three new recruits
every night and requested forty muskets so that the company could
parade on the Fourth of July, 1857.
For a period of nearly four years no further record of the activities
of this company are available, perhaps due to a waning interest
among the members. However, on May 23, 1861, a letter written
by Major J. R. West explaining to the Adjutant General that he
had presided at a meeting of the company, which was reorganized,
indicating a revival of interest among the members concerning
the activities of their unit.
The newly organized company
retained its old name, Washington Continental Guard and elected
George A. Glasure, Captain and Charles D. Wallace, First Lieutenant.
Washington Light Infantry
On the twenty-seventh day of January 1862, the company changed
its name to Washington Light Infantry, with the approval of the
Brigadier-General, Charles Doan.
On March twenty-sixth, Captain Storer addressed a letter to Adjutant
General William C. Kibbe stating that the arms of the company
were worn badly and some of them broken.
Under Special Order No. 26, from Brigade Headquarters, Inspector
John Hill examined the equipment and reported the rifles were
very worn after four years of service and recormnended that a
new supply of fifty Springfield Muskets, improved pattern, be
issued along with necessary accouterments to this old established
company. After reading the records of this company we readily
agreed with Inspector Hill.
In 1866 when the Legislature passed a law reducing the number
of militia companies to eighty and providing a Board of Location
and Organization, whose duty it was to reorganize the militia
forces with a view of location and the concentration of regiments
in emergencies in the least possible time, the Board's recommendation
resulted in the Washington Light Infantry being transferred from
Company D, First Artillery Regiment to Company B, Second Infantry
Regiment, Second Brigade.
Veteran Guard
At a meeting of the Washington Light Guard held on September
28, 1867, a motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed
"that the name of Washington Light Guard be dropped and
that we assume the title of Veteran Guard." The reason for
the change of the name was made obvious in a letter addressed
to Adjutant General Evans and written by Colonel J. B. McKenzie.
The Colonel requested the General to oblige him by a speedy issuing
of the commissions of Captain McCabe and the First Lieutenant,
Fred Harrington. He explained that as soon.as the commissions
arrived, Captain Souther, who evidently was not a veteran, would
resign and the company then would be 100 percent Veterans. The
Colonel also stated that the company was one of the finest he
had ever seen in this or any other State.
Warren Guard
On July 24, 1871, the company again voted unanimously to change
their narne from Veteran Guard to Warren Guard, and gave as a
reason for the change that it was impossible to keep the number
of members required by law, if condition of membership was confined
to those who had been in the Civil War, also the Veterans of
the Mexican War. The change of name was permitted under Special
Order No. 30, 1871.
Stratman Zouaves
When on January lo, 1873, John Stratman was elected Captain of
the company, the members decided once more to change their name
this time in honor of their Captain. So under Special Order No.
22, issued in 1873 their name was changed from Warren Guard to
Stratman Zouaves.
Thompson Rifles
'
This designation was only carried by the company for two years
when the unit became known as the Thompson Rifles under Special
Order No. 19, issued on October 20, 1875. On October 2, 1877,
Captain Fierce addressed a letter to Adjutant General Walsh stating,
that the company would hereafter be known by the designation
of the Regimental letter "B".
Although this company, which in the beginning was the Washington
Continental Guard, changed its name five different tines, it
was a very efficient unit and saw active service with the Second
Brigade in all their parades, encampments and on the occasions
when the Brigade was called upon during attempts to lynch accused
murderers or when riotous conduct was displayed, such as occurred
in 1876, 1877, and 1878 during the anti-Chinese demonstrations.
The Muster Roll of September 1877 shows a loss of thirty seven
members to the company, more than half of the number having been
dishonorably discharged. This loss caused the membership to fall
below the standard required by law, and subjected the unit to
disbandment. However, the Adjutant General decided disbandment
of this company would cause an unjust punishment on the remaining
members and accordingly he issued : Special Order ho. 3 on February
26, 1878, stating that Company B and Company E, Second Infantry
Regiment be consolidated. Company was likewise guilty of falling
below the required standard in regard to membership. Company
E refused to consolidate so was mustered out of the service.
The commissioned officers of the two companies were honorably
mustered out of the service of the State on March 14, 1878.
The old members of Company B were reorganized into a new unit
and with the addition of new members, qualified as a company
of the National Guard. They elected Herman Schaffner, Captain
and William H. Bigger, First Lieutenant. The new company was
designated Company B, Second Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade.
On April 1, 1880, the name Company B was changed to Company E,
Second Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade, to which designation
refer for further activities of this unit.(1)
Footnotes
(1) Adjutant General Report 1880,
Special Order No. 25, page 77.
(2) Also referred to as Washington Continental
Guard on some documents.
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