California and the Civil War

by Richard Hurley

In the long and bitter prelude to war, southern transplants dominated California government, keeping the state aligned with Dixie. However, a murderous duel in 1859 killed "Free Soil" U.S. Senator David C. Broderick, and public opinion began to change. As war broke out back east, a golden-tongued preacher named Reverend Thomas Starr King crisscrossed the state endeavoring to save the Golden State for the Union. Seventeen thousand California volunteers thwarted secessionist schemes and waged brutal campaigns against native tribesmen resisting white encroachment as far away as Idaho and New Mexico. And a determined battalion of California cavalry journeyed to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to battle John Singleton Mosby, the South's deadliest partisan ranger. Author Richard Hurley delves into homefront activities during the nation's bloodiest war and chronicles the adventures of the brave men who fought far from home.

Genres: History, American Civil War, Nonfiction, Civil War

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 24, 2017

Reviews

[Karel Baloun]

Lincoln only took 32% of the California vote in 1860, and the West, already deeply racist against the Indians and Asians, had great sympathy for slavery. CA was so sparsely populated then that 32% each for Lincoln and Douglas was around 38,000 votes, and the secessionist Breckinridge got almost 34,000.

This book highlights a few key personal contributions that swung California towards the union cause or at least kept the battle out of the state. Some of the largest pro union rallies were indeed in San Francisco, and SoCal and Southern Arizona (small populations fighting indians and mexicans) clearly supported the secessionists.

One key personal decision was by Albert Sidney Johnston, the highest ranked officer to die in the civil war, who died at Shiloh for want of a tourniquet after sending his personal physicians to care for union captives. He first resigned his union position in SoCal, separating his institutional position from his personal decisions, instead of trying to take his troops with him to the confederacy or “winning California” for his cause. Modern confederates like Trump are all about grifting from their Union positions of trust.

Leland Stanford was strongly pro-union, but an ineffective politician at a time when tribal passions ran strong.

[Steven Minniear]

Clear and lucid. I’m glad I found this book. I am rethinking my understanding of California during the Civil War.

[Tom]

Most histories of the Civil War skim over California with little more than a paragraph or two. That's too bad because we readers don't get much of an opportunity to learn about the cast of characters who were busy shipping gold to the east, fighting to establish slavery throughout the state or attempting to set up an independent country within the fairly new state.

Author Richard Hurley has made it possible for us to understand how closely our early Californian residents could have become part of a slave state. The text and accompanying photos provide a new chapter to the Civil War.

I recommend this solid piece of American history.

[Nelson Minar]

A very solid and readable history of a narrow slice of history, combining California and the Civil War. California didn't play a big role in the Civil War, at least not in terms of number of men or influential battles. (Our gold supply was a much bigger factor!) But there are a bunch of interesting incidents, also a lot of strong feelings about the Civil War even in brand-new California. So the author has a lot of good stories to tell but one gets the sense he's told all of them, that this is a complete history of all the significant things.

I like the writing style, casual and easy to read. But it's not a shallow book, it is very well researched with some significant interpretation from the author. Just the style of history I like to read.

[Daniel Morgan]

This is a great book, and I learned a lot. The author shifts from the focus on gold to explore the real history of California during the Civil War. Sectional divide, bandits and robberies, California Volunteers fighting in the southwest and in the east, horrific violence against Native Americans, the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo, the Sanitary Commission, and more. Clear reading, fast paced, bold maps, and lots of photos.

[Jandro]

I learned a lot about California's contributions to preserving the Union in this book. It's a quick and engaging read that has added about a dozen more books to my reading list. Highly recommended. The author covers many topics, including profiles of colorful Californios.

[PottWab Regional Library]

A