California Goes To War! The Civil War, That Is.

Bombardment of Fort Sumter! Surrender of Maj. Anderson! Civil War Begun! The President calls out 75,000 Militia! 

These headlines were published in San Leandro on April 27, 1861.

The news had come by Pony Express, reaching California two weeks after the bombardment of Fort Sumter.

Although there were some pro-Confederate groups in California, the political sentiment was overwhelmingly pro-Union and California contributed financially and militarily to the Union effort.

During the , the privately organized Sanitary Commission was responsible for raising money for the medical treatment of wounded soldiers.

California’s Sanitary Commission would raise a quarter of all the support received by the commission from the entire nation.

San Leandrans contributed more than $5,000 to that fund after the fiery orator Thomas Starr King addressed a September 1862 rally in San Leandro.

California gives gold not guns

The new state’s gold and volunteers were important to the Union Army. The draft was not enforced here, but some men went back East to join other state’s regiments and more than 17,000 volunteered in California.

But the California troops were not sent back East. Instead they were kept in western states and territories.

Some were sent to work building forts (at a Historical Society event in September, Ernie Manzo spoke to an overflow crowd about troops building Ft. Point, Alcatraz, and Angel Island in the Bay Area).

Others were sent to patrol the Oregon Overland and Santa Fe Trails, essential for transporting millions of dollars in California gold to shore up Union bonds.

But some Californians wanted to form a California regiment to fight on the front lines of the Civil War.

Fighting on the front lines

In the late summer of 1862, a group of men contacted the governor of Massachusetts and proposed to raise a group of 100 California volunteers to form a separate company in a Massachusetts cavalry regiment.

On October 27, 1862, Capt. J. Sewall Reed received the necessary authority from the governor. Recruitment began the following day in San Francisco.

Officially, they became Company A of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry, but they were popularly known as the “California Hundred.” More than 400 more men would join them before the war’s end.

They fought with distinction in the battles of Winchester, Luray, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek.

They were part of the long march from the Shenandoah to Petersburg in February in March 1865 and later participated in the battles of Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks and Sailors Creek.

At war’s end they were present at the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House.

Learn more with other history buffs

Following up their September event about Bay Area fort building during the Civil War, the is sponsoring a Living History event about the Cal 100. 

Featured speaker and re-enactor Jeff Matthews has been a member of the National Civil War Association Cal 100 unit for more than 15 years.

He and his horse “Push” have participated in events throughout California. Also participating in this event are as a sharpshooter and Pat McKenna as a Confederate States of America interpreter.

The Cal 100 event takes place Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. (doors open at 1:00) at the , 300 Estudillo Avenue, San Leandro.

There will be time before and after the presentation to see the exhibits and talk to the re-enactors. The public is invited to this FREE event. For more information, email sanleandrohistory@gmail.com or telephone 510-910-3215.