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Inter Pocala & History of California (Various Pages) (33 pages)
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Page: of 33
456 MILITARY.
master-general and an adjutant-general being also
elected. by joint convention of the legislature. The
conflict between the Indian tribes and the miners,
and attacks by the natives upon immigrating parties
furnished the only occasions on which the militia were
called upon to perform military duty, which occasions
continued but for a few years, costing the state, however, a considerable sum, for which it received partial
indemnity from the general government.
In February, 1851, the i
authorizing a loan not exceeding $500,000; payable in
ten years, and bearing interest at the rate of twelve
‘per cent per annum, payable semi-annually, to meet
the expenses of expeditions against the Indians.
Another act was passed in 1852 authorizing a loan of
not more than $600,000 with interest at seven per
cent, payable annually; and the law bound the state
to pay the principal if at the end of ten years congress had made no provision for its liquidation. Congress, in 1854, made an appropriation of $924,295.65
to pay the bonds issued in 1851 and 1852; but the
amount ordered to be granted was the sum actually
paid by the state of California in the suppression
of Indian hostilities prior to January 1854, which
the secretary of war was directed at once to ascertain. The amount of the appropriations, had it been
immediately available, would have discharged the
bonded debt, bnt the delay consequent upon the appointment of a commission, and the transfer of the
business to Washington, so increased the interest on
the bonds that, when after much legislation the money
New York volunteers. In 1851 James M. Estill was elected maj.-gen. of 24’
div. in place of Brackett, and S. M. Miles and S. E. Woodsworth brig.-gens
of Ist and 4th div. in place of Eastland and Bowen. In 1852 William
C, Kibbe was elected qr-master-gen., also governor's aids, with the rank
of colonel of cavalry, as follows: Samuel A. Merritt, Mariposa co.; Alphonso
Sutter, Sutter co.; E. C. Cromwell, El Dorado co.; Edward M. Burrows,
Butte co.; Andreas Pico, Los Angeles co.; John Watson, Shasta co.,
1852; Cave C. Couts, San Diego co.; and J. E. Lawrence, San Francisco., 1853. In 1853 John A. Sutter was elected maj.-gen. at large; J. M.
peal maj.-gen. of the 4th div., and D, B, Kurtz brig.-gen 2d brigade
v.
egislature passed an act
CLAIMS AND APPROPRIATIONS. 457
appropriated was applied, the state still owed in September, 1856, $173,322.66, coupons to that amount
being cut from the bonds and returned to the respective holders for redemption. The interest upon these
coupons being added, the whole amount remaining
to be paid when a committee of the house of representatives reported upon the matter in 1883, reached
$241,625.82, for which the general government was
justly liable to the state for expenses incurred in its
defence in 1850-51.
On account of other Indian hostilities the legislature in 1857 again issued bonds amounting to $410,000 to be paid out of any moneys that might be
appropriated by congress to the state to defray the
expenses incurred in the suppression of Indian hostilities specified in this act,” the bondholders in this
instance relying solely upon the general government.
I have found nothing to show that these claims were
ever paid. The state was reimbursed for its participation in the Modoc Indian war of 1872-3 to the
amount of $4,441.38, appropriated by congress in
1883."
13 This act is a history of voltnteer expeditions and losses during several
years. It specifies services in Sutter co. in 1850, $5,000; in Nevada co. in
1850 and 1851, $20,000; in Yuba co. in 1850, $20,000; in Klamath co, in 1852,
$10,000; in Siskiyou co. in 1855, $14,000; the same co. in 1856, $200,000;
Humboldt and Klamath cos in 1855, $110,000; Los Angeles‘co. 1852-5,
$20,000; San Bernardino in 1855, $1,000; Tulare co. in 1856, $10,000. Cal.
Stat., 1857, 262-4. These expensive explo were undertaken after the
failure of appeals to the United States officers in the department, which was
ill supplied with troops for the protection of so extensive a frontier; and
even as late as 1872-3 it was necessary to call out volunteers to subdue the
Modocs on the northern border. E
The whole army of the United States in 1849-50 comprised two regiments of dragoons, one of mounted riflemen, four of artillery, and eight of
infantry, aggregating with the engineer corps and general staff 12,927 members. ‘All the mounted troops were employed in Oregon, California, Texas,
New Mexico, and on the routes leading to the Pacificcoast. From the extent
of country to be traversed in the event of an outbreak, and which could not
be covered by infantry in time to overtake the enemy, it became necessary
to increase the cavalry by recruiting the broken companies with tried and
trusted men from the east, whose terms of service were nearing the end;
and also by increasing the size of the companies from the quota, sumetimes
as low as 42, toa number not exceeding 74 privates per company. With
such troops as were available an expedition set out in the month of May to
punish the Indians in the neighborhood of Clear lake, in what is now Lake
county, for the murder of citizens in 1849, It consisted of C troop Ist dra-