California State Militia and National
Guard Unit Histories
Hooker Light Infantry
Military Unit Designation: Hooker Light Infantry, 3rd Brigade, California
Militia
Date of Organization: May 18, 1863
Date of Disbanding: 1864
Inclusive dates of units papers: 1863
Geographical Location or Locations: Aurora, Mono County California.
After 13 September 1863 California-Nevada state line adjustment,
Aurora, Esmeralda County, Nevada
Papers on file at the California State Archives: a. Organization Papers 3 documents
(1863)
b. Bonds 1 document (1863)
c. Correspondence (Unclassified letters) 17 documents (1863)
d. Election Returns none
e. Exempt Certificates, Applications for none
f. Muster Rolls, Monthly returns 2 documents (1863)
g. Oaths Qualifications none
h. Orders none
i. Receipts, invoices 2 documents (1863)
j. Requisitions 2 documents (1863)
k. Resignations none
l. Target Practice Reports none
Commanding Officers
Jacob Hess, Captain; Elected May 18, 1863;
Commissioned May 27, 1863
George N. Donnell, First Lieutenant; Elected May 18, 1863; Commissioned
May 27, 1863
Official History
On May 9, 1863, J. A. Moultrie, County Judge
of Mono County appointed Edwin Sherman, a resident of Aurora,
to superintend the meeting to form a volunteer military company
designated as the Hooker Light Infantry. The company was duly
formed and mustered into the service of the State of California,
May 18, 1863, with Jacob Hess as Captain.
The town of Aurora during the Civil War
was the location of one of Mono County's richest gold mines, and
renegades from all parts of California had gathered there. Also
many of the town s citizens were secessionists The Hooker Light
Infantry was formed with the expressed purpose of aiding the civil
authorities to maintain law and order among the residents.
In 1863, due to the readjusting of the boundary
line of the territory of Nevada, it was found that the town of
Aurora was three miles on the Nevada side.(1) The Hooker Light
Infantry was dropped from the California roster, but allowed to
keep the arms in their possession. In order that the State of
California would suffer no loss of property, Adjutant General
William Kibbe wrote to the Governor of Nevada in 1864, suggesting
that when Nevada received their arms from their State Government,
they turn over to California the same number that was retained
by the Hooker Light Infantry.(2)
There was no further record of the company,
and it is assumed that In the early part of 1864, the Hooker Light
Infantry was officially mustered out of California service.
Footnotes
1. Mono County Mines, published
1878, Page 49.
2 . Adjutant General Report 1864-1867,
Page 15.
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