The history of the formation of the Seventh
California Infantry, United States Volunteers, owes much of its
history and origin to the original San Bernardino County
Companies
of the First Battalion of the Seventh Infantry, National Guard
of California.
Waterman Rifles
The history of Company E, Seventh Infantry, National Guard of California rightly begins with the Waterman Rifles of the City of San Bernardino, an independent company of infantry, which was formed in the early part of 1887. The California legislature, in the spring of 1887, had provided for an increase of the National Guard, which led to the formation of the Waterman Rifles, with a view to their being ultimately mustered into state service. The name of the Waterman Rifles was selected as a compliment to the Governor, which he generously acknowledged. At that time, R. W. Waterman, a citizen of San Bernardino, had been elected Lieutenant Governor of California in November, of 1886, and became Governor on September 12, 1887, on the death of Washington Bartlett.
The original officers of the Waterman Rifles were as follows: William J. Wilsey, Captain; George L. Bryant, First Lieutenant; Myron W. Littlefield, Second Lieutenant; and James E. Mack, as First Sergeant.
The original officers and members of the Waterman Rifles were officially mustered in service on October 29, 1887, as Company E, Seventh Infantry, National Guard of California.
The Seventh Regiment Band owes its origins to the Waterman Rifles, and the following Musicians: George Blake, C. L. Sears, D. C. Ross, J. A. McDonald, W. H. Hale, J. D. Folks, J. W. Driver, John E. Bailey, George S. Nickerson, Fred E. Moore, Oscar D. Foy, F. G. Erbie, and Louis Ancker, Jr.
The company remained with the original Seventh Infantry until the formation of the Ninth Infantry, N.G.C., to which Company E was transferred with its original letter.
Upon the disintegration of the Ninth Infantry, under Regiment General Order 17 and Adjutant General Order dated December 7, 1895, Company E was provisionally assigned to the Second Battalion of Infantry of the First Brigade, National Guard of California, and two days later, General Order 18, dated December 9, 1895, designated Company K, and transferred to the First Battalion, Seventh Infantry, National Guard of California.
Company K rendezvoused at Redlands, May 5, 1898, and was, with the rest of the regiment, mustered into the Seventh California Infantry, United States Volunteers Independent Division, Eighth Army Cops, United States Army.
The
following men were elected its officers and non-commissioned
officers: O. P. Sloat, Captain, Commanding; Wm. C. Seccombe,
First Lieutenant; Arthur F. Halpin, Second Lieutenant; J. D.
Mathews, First Sergeant; W. A. Rowntree, Quartermaster Sergeant;
W. G. Bodkin, C. S. Rollins, B. W. Allen, D. W. Strong;
Corporals, D. L. Whitlock, I. S. Martin, John Hall, E. I.
Cleveland, E. L. Barrows; and N. S. Young, Artificer.
The following members of Company K rendered service in the
Philippines: Don L. Noble*, D. W. Strong, Ira S. Martin, E. I.
Cleveland, H. N. Peck, D. P. Butler, C. E. Crawford, R. Nelson,
John Purcell, William H. Ralston, D. H. Sibbett, Theodore H.
Tarbox*, L. G. White, C. A. Williams, Harry Johnston, L. W.
Planz*. One member, T. B. Robertson, served in the Naval Militia
during the Spanish War, and C. O. Hoyt, served in the U.S. Navy.
Redlands Guard
Like the Waterman Rifles, the Redlands Guard
was an
independent infantry company. The Redlands Guard was organized on
Friday
evening, June 10, 1892, at the Society Hall in the Feraud
Building, then
located at the corner of Orange and Water Streets, Redlands. The
evening
following, J. Wallace F. Diss was elected Captain; Frank C.
Prescott, First
Lieutenant; and James F. Drake, Second Lieutenant. The original
members
included the following: First Sergeant: Harvey E. Higbey;
Sergeants: Musgrove,
Steele; Corporals: E. J. Underwood, E. E. Raught, J. W. Edwards,
John F. Byrne,
Charles Howard; Privates: C. A. Wise, Charles Roberts, J. F.
Dostal, Herman
Yorker, T. S. Holliday, Ruggles, John Rundberg, Chapman, Young,
Holliday, F. N.
Chevalier, Charles W. Lehr, B. R. Sheldon, J. A. Weitzel, A. C.
Fowler, J. F.
Sutherland, A. R. Welton, George S. Biggin, W. W. Dingwall, Fred
Higinbotham,
William Koehler, Will Bryan, L. A. Pfeiffer, Jacob Maier, John
Carlson, and S.
Kenady.
Drilling began regularly on Thursday nights,
and uniforms
were soon provided. One of the stores in the brick building where
the Casa Loma
was built afterward was used as an armory.
In August 1892, the company went to Camp Butler
at Long
Beach, under the command of Lieutenant Prescott, Captain Diss
being there
during the camp as a guest of the National Guard. Here, Adjutant
General Allen
entertained a plan for state Springfield rifles to be stored with
and used by
the company.
On June 3, 1893, the independent company
formerly called the
Redlands Guards was officially mustered into the Ninth Infantry,
National Guard
of California, as Company G, with the following members appointed
as its
officers: J. Wallace F. Diss, Captain; Frank C. Prescott, First
Lieutenant; and
Harvey E. Higbey, Second Lieutenant.
Upon the disintegration of the Ninth Infantry,
under
Regiment General Order 17 and Adjutant General Order dated
December 7, 1895,
Company G was assigned provisionally to the Third Battalion of
Infantry of the
First Brigade, National Guard of California. Two days later,
retaining its old
letter, General Order 18, dated December 9, 1895, was transferred
to the First
Battalion, Seventh Infantry, National Guard of California.
Company G rendezvoused at Redlands on May 5,
1898, and was,
with the rest of the regiment, mustered into the Seventh
California Infantry,
United States Volunteers, Independent Division, Eighth Army Corps,
United
States Army.
The following men were elected its officers and
non-commissioned officers: George S. Biggin, Captain, commanding;
George M.
Smallwood, First Lieutenant; Lewis Palmtag, Second Lieutenant; G.
E. Cryer,
First Sergeant; Frank Cook, Quartermaster Sergeant; Sergeants H.
F. H. Brown,
L. K. Brown, J. E. Hosking, and Jacob Kircher; and Corporals E. S.
Logie, W. H.
Fletcher, C. F. Ford, A. G. Reynolds, O. H. Burton, A. R. Welton,
Chas. J.
Johnson, Arthur W. Hunt, Geo. A. Webber, Jno. A. Mack, Harry C.
Lockwood, Will L.
Fowler; Artificer, A. C. Sherman.
The following members of Company G performed
duty in the
Philippines: Frank C. Prescott, 43rd Infty., U.S.V.; J. Wallace F.
Diss,
California Heavy Artillery; U.S.V.; John G. Baldridge, 43rd
Infty., U.S.V.; W.
D. Timmons, 43rd Infty., U.S.V.; F. J. Michaelis, U.S.A.; G.
Willett, 35th
Infty., U.S.V.; Charles R. Ferguson, 43rd Infty., U.S.V.; H. H.
McCormick, 3rd
Artillery, U.S.A.; F. J. Valdez*, 18th Infty., U.S.A.; Arthur L.
Dean*, U.S.
Art., U.S.A.; Geo. Moseley, U.S. Art., U.S.A.; M. Royal, 43rd
Infty., U.S.V.;
George J. Beasley, 43rd Infty., U.S.V.; W. E. Foster, U.S.A.
First Battalion,
Seventh Infantry, National Guard of California
The addition of the Redlands Company and the
Act of March 9,
1893, which added another major to the field of the Ninth
Regiment, resulted in
an election at San Diego on June 17, 1893, to which Frank C.
Prescott was
elected major of the Second Battalion, which included Companies C
of Riverside,
G of Redlands, E of San Bernardino and D of Pomona.
At the consolidation of the Seventh and Ninth
regiments of
the California National Guard, these companies remained in the
same battalion
with only their letters changed to that of M, of Riverside, and K,
of San
Bernardino.
In 1897, at the Santa Monica camp, Company D of
Pomona was
transferred to another battalion, and Company B of San Diego was
placed in the
battalion, thus giving Captain Dodge of San Diego, the senior
officer of the
regiment in time of service, the right of the line.
The reorganization also resulted in the
battalion becoming
the First Battalion as Major Prescott was re-elected as the senior
Major.
Before the Spanish-American War, the Battalion
had been
called upon for active state duty three times:
The first call to arms occurred on September 2,
1893, when
the battalion was ordered to rendezvous at the armories of their
respective
companies for duty in suppressing anti-Chinese riots threatening
Redlands. Here,
the battalion was assembled and remained all night. The battalion
was commended
in Regimental orders No. 14, Headquarters Ninth Regiment, First
Brigade,
N.G.C., San Diego, California, September 16, 1893, paragraph V
reads as
follows:
The commanding
officer desires
to commend Major Frank C. Prescott and the officers and men of
Companies C, E
and G for the promptness with which they responded to the orders
of the Brigade
Commander upon occasion of the recent threatened anti-Chinese
riots at
Redlands, and the manner in which they exemplified their
readiness to discharge
their duties under the law. The large percentage of attendance
secured upon
short notice, and the energy and efficiency shown in the
discharge of duty,
justifies the commanding officer's large faith in the fidelity
and efficiency
of his entire command and in its capacity to properly aid the
civil authorities
to meet those emergencies of public disorder the danger of whose
occurrence
justifies the National Guard's existence.
By Order of Colonel
Spileman
Official
Ed. F. Brown,
Adjutant."
The Battalion's first tour of active state duty
was
characterized by sound judgment and efficiency.
The second took place on April 14, 1894, when
the battalion
was ordered to rendezvous with Company K to proceed to Colton to
protect
railroad property from the Coxey Army riotous demonstrations.
Company K
bivouacked one night at the City Hall, Colton. At the time of the
industrial
troubles, peace was preserved without immoderate zeal or supine
indifference.
The third occasion occurred on May 5, 1898,
when the
battalion was assembled at armories and ordered to San Francisco.
The battalion
started for San Francisco on May 6, 1898, camped at Presidio on
May 7, 1898,
and was mustered into the United States Volunteers for service in
the
Spanish-American War on May 9, 1898. In camp at the Presidio, May
7 to 25
inclusive, the battalion took station at Camp Merritt on June 28,
1898, and
returned to the Presidio on August 24, where it was furloughed on
October 13,
with orders to rendezvous at Agricultural Park in Los Angeles on
November 12,
1898. There, the battalion was mustered out on December 2, 1898,
and returned
to duty with the National Guard.
While in the service of the United States as
the First
Battalion of the Seventh California Infantry, United States
Volunteers, it was
part of the First Brigade, Independent Division of the Eighth Army
Corps, and
was always a part of the Expeditionary Forces. Its officers were
Major Frank C.
Prescott and First Lieutenant Harvey E. Higbey.
The tour of duty at the Presidio was one of
instruction and
discipline. Major Prescott carried out the work to the uttermost
limit. The
battalion was soon drilling in close and extended order by trumpet
signals. The
infantry drill regulations were covered. The work culminated in
the exhibition
drills given by the different regiments on different nights at the
Mechanics'
Pavilion. The battalion was repeatedly commended in orders and was
distinguished for its instruction, discipline, and esprit de
corps.
Movements of the close order were fully exemplified. It was noted
and commented
upon by Major General Merriam, the reviewing officer, and the
press of the city
that at the order "arms," where the iron butts of nearly four
hundred
rifles stuck the board floor together, not a sound was heard. This
was
conformable to the infantry drill regulations, which prescribed
that the guns
be lowered gently to the ground. The perfection of discipline will
be
appreciated, and it will bring hundreds of rifles down to a hard
floor without
sound. This was a unique refinement of military precision. The
efficiency of
the battalion was recognized by the regular army authorities who
ordered it for
a tour of duty wherein the captains were ordered to fall out and
regular army
lieutenants placed in command of the companies to test their drill
proficiency.
This was reported by one of the San Francisco newspapers as
follows:
"First and Second Lieutenants of the United States Army undergoing examination for promotion were examined in drill June 14, 1898, Major Prescott's battalion of the Seventh California Infantry, U.S.V., was brought over from Camp Merritt to the Presidio for examination. It was a matter of universal comment among the officers of the Presidio what a fine body of men the soldiers of the battalion were, excellently drilled and strong and martial in appearance."
Seventh California
Infantry, United States Volunteers, Eighth Army Corps
While in the service of the United States as the First Battalion of the Seventh California Infantry, United States Volunteers, it was part of the First Brigade, Independent Division of the Eighth Army Corps, and was always a part of the Expeditionary Forces. Its officers were Major Frank C. Prescott and First Lieutenant Harvey E. Higbey.
The tour of duty at the Presidio was one of instruction and discipline. Major Prescott carried out the work to the uttermost limit. The battalion was soon drilling in both close and extended order by trumpet signals. The infantry drill regulations were covered. The work culminated in the exhibition drills given by the different regiments on different nights at the Mechanics' Pavilion. The battalion was repeatedly commended in orders and was distinguished for its instruction, discipline and esprit. Movements of the close order were fully exemplified. It was noted and commented upon by Major General Merriam, the reviewing officer, and the press of the city, that at the order "arms," where the iron butts of nearly four hundred rifles stuck the board floor together, not a sound was heard. This was conformable to the infantry drill regulations which prescribe that the guns shall be lowered gently to the ground. The perfection of discipline will be appreciated that will bring hundreds of rifles down to a hard floor without a sound. This was a unique refinement of military precision. The efficiency of the battalion was recognized by the regular army authorities who ordered it for a tour of duty wherein the captains were ordered to fall out and regular army lieutenants placed in command of the companies to test their proficiency of drill. This was reported by one of the San Francisco newspapers as follows:
"First and Second Lieutenants of the United States Army undergoing examination for promotion, were examined in drill June 14, 1898, Major Prescott's battalion of the Seventh California Infantry, U.S.V., was brought over from Camp Merritt to the Presidio for the purpose of examination. It was a matter of universal comment among the officers of the Presidio what a fine body of men the soldiers of the battalion were, excellently drilled and strong and martial in appearance."
Company L, Forty-Third
Infantry, United States Volunteers
The battalion was mustered out on December 2,
1898, and
after the muster out from the volunteer service, the battalion
returned to duty
in the National Guard.
During the Spanish-American War, many of its
members
enlisted in the United States Army, United States Navy or
volunteered
(re-enlisted) for additional service as part of the United States
Volunteers.
Among these were the men of Company L, Forty-Third infantry,
United States
Volunteers.
On September 12, 1899, Major Frank C. Prescott
accepted a
commission as Captain in the United States Volunteers, with rank
dating from
August 17, 1899. Returning back to San Bernardino County on
September 22, Major
Prescott opened recruiting offices in Redlands and San Bernardino.
Captain Prescott recruited sixteen men from San
Bernardino:
John G. Baldridge, Dann Perry Butler, Charles G. Clifton, Charles
C. Covington,
Albert D. Gage, Elmer F. Gleason, Parker B. Greason, Marcus
Hawley, Charles J.
Kerr, Charles W. Nixon, William H. Ralston, William D. Rosenberg,
Theodore H.
Tarbox, Lorenzo D. Taylor, Duane H. Timmons, and Lemuel Grant
White.
This formed the nucleus of Company L of the
43rd Infantry,
United States Volunteers. The organization was the contribution of
San
Bernardino County to the Philippine campaign.
When Captain Prescott began recruiting at
Redlands on
September 22, 1899, Captain Cooke began recruiting at Sacramento
on September
21, 1899. Captain Prescott arrived at the Presidio of San
Francisco with
fifteen recruits on October 14, and Captain Cooke arrived with
eight recruits
on October 11. With assignments from general recruiting stations,
these were
consolidated, equipped, and instructed by Captain Prescott, and
the provisional
company mustered in as Company L, 43d Infantry, United States
Volunteers, and
mustered in roll dated November 3, 1899.
The company marched from the Presidio of San
Francisco at 11
a.m. on November 20, arrived on board the United States chartered
transport
CITY OF PUEBLA at 12:45 p.m., and sailed that same day at 5 p.m.,
for the
Philippine Islands, with First Battalion, 44th Infantry, U.S.V.,
on board. The
City of Puebla traveled with the transport U.S.A.T. HANCOCK. They
arrived at
Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, on November 28. On the 30th, the
company, with the First
Battalion, 44th Infantry, marched six miles and witnessed a camp
of instruction
and drill of the National Guard of Hawaii.
Company L sailed with the Battalion from
Honolulu on
December 3, 1899, and arrived at Manila, Luzon, Philippine
Islands, on December
19, 1899, where they learned that Major General H. W. Lawton,
whose home was at
Redlands, had been killed that day. Landing at Manila, the company
was
quartered at the Exposition Building, Malate, on December 21,
1899. From here,
they marched to El Deposito de las Aguas Potables, Maraquina
Crossing, on
December 22, a distance of six miles, and camped in tents already
erected
there. The company moved into tents 100 yards distant in front of
the
Headquarters of the First Brigade, First Division, Eighth Army
Corps, El
Deposito, on Saturday, December 23. From here, they marched four
miles to a
pumping station and were ferried across the San Mateo River to
Santolan, where
they bivouacked for the night (December 26). The company was then
ordered to
march eight miles to San Mateo, escorting twenty-nine carabao
wagons loaded
with supplies. It arrived at 10 a.m. on December 27, having
marched toward
heavy fire in hills for the last four miles. Upon arrival, the
company was held
in reserve and participated in action in the mountains back of
town. Marching
back to El Deposito with two wounded, the company arrived back at
camp at 12:20
a.m. on December 28, 1899. The aforementioned action was the first
engagement
against the enemy by any part of the 43rd regiment.
After nearly a year and a half of combat in the
Philippines,
on May 31, 1901, Company L boarded the transport U.S.A.T.
KILPATRICK departing
from Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands, arrived at San Francisco
on June 27,
where they were mustered out of service on July 5, 1901.