California Militia
and National Guard Unit Histories
Klamath Rifles
(Rifle Rangers)
Official or Other Titles: Klamath
Rifles, 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, California Militia. The first
two recorded papers on file at the State Archives designate the
company as Rifle Rangers, all others carry the name Klamath Rifles.
Location:
Young's Ferry, Klamath County (now Del Norte County)
Mustered in: January
11, 1855
Mustered out:
May 26, 1855 Inclusive dates of units papers: 1855 Commanding Officers
William M. Young, Captain
John T. Carey, First Lieutenant
Unit papers on file at the California
State Archives:
a. Organization Papers 1 document (1855)
b. Bonds 2 documents (1855)
c. Correspondence (Unclassified letters) 9 documents (1855)
d. Election Returns none
e. Exempt Certificates, Applications for none
f. Muster Rolls, Monthly returns none
g. Oaths Qualifications none
h. Orders none
i. Receipts, invoices 3 documents (1855)
j. Requisitions none
k. Resignations none
l. Target Practice Reports none
m. Other none
Official History
The citizens of Young's Ferry on the Klamath
River who were desirous of military protection for the immediate
vicinity, organized themselves into a volunteer company on January
11, 1855, taking the name of Rifle Rangers.
On March sixteenth of the same year Governor John Bigler wrote
to Adjutant General William C. Kibbe, instructing the General
to issue arms to Captain Young, who had organized the volunteer
militia unit. A Bond of $2, 000 was drawn up in favor of Governor
Bigler for the arms which were then delivered. One month later
on April fourteenth; another Bond for the sum of $2,500 also
signed by Captain Young personally, was.sent to Adjutant General
Kibbe. In this second Bond the company was designated as the
Klamath Rifles.
It was necessary to carry two Bonds for this unit, as the Indians
had been causing considerable trouble and a large quantity of
arms was needed for the settlers, in addition to the company's
activity in attempting to suppress the hostilities. Two letters
from Captain Young to Adjutant General Kibbe give the only information
available for activities in Indian warfare by the Klamath Rifles.
The first letter was dated April 14, 1855, and.in it the Captain
complies with a request of the Adjutant General's in giving a
brief report on the status of the company. He stated,
"That the company had been organized
under adverse circumstances, owing to the want of proper means
of subsistence, besides the lack of arms.
The Captain had been compelled to use his own individual credit
in order to obtain considerable supplies, for which he was held
responsible to complete the organization. That money was absolutely
necessary to carry operations, not only to procure a supply of
provisions for their future use, but to assist them in retaining
their Indian allies, was emphasized by the captain."
In fact, Captain Young explained to the
Adjutant General that he had neither the ability or disposition
to make himself personally responsible any further in this matter,
and requested of the Adjutant General that funds be forwarded
to him at the earliest moment so as to enable them to continue
the company's activities in protecting the district from the
hostiles, at the same time to give his men some confidence in
the resources of their commanding officer. It was feared by the
Captain that unless funds were forthcoming so the company could
carry on operations with more energy, that a general Indian War
might be anticipated. He also informed the General that it was
impossible to give an intelligible idea of the state of affairs
in that section. The ordnance stores had arrived and the company,
which then was fully armed, was already campaigning. He concluded
this communication with a request for the necessary printed supplies
and documents for the Quartermaster and Commissary Department
and also a copy of the Militia regulations.
The second letter of May third, reported to Adjutant General
Kibbe that the Klamath Rifles were "in a state of efficiency
and still in active service." The Captain had been necessitated
to divide the command in order to thoroughly scour the mountains
and guard the different exposed sections of the river. A number
of hostiles had. been killed, and the United States Regulars
with whom they were cooperating, had under guard some twenty
prisoners together with a large number of women and children
belonging to the captives. Every effort had been and would continue
to be made to settle this feud as speedily as possible."
Captain Young informed General Kibbe that he had not received
any communications from Headquarters since March sixteenth, but
that his Muster Roll and Bond had been forwarded sometime back,
and it was his presumption that the delay was to be attributed
to the irregularity of the mail. The question of lack of funds
was again taken up by the Captain when he requested that Lieutenant
Carey, Assistant Adjutant Quartermaster, be issued funds to meet
the current expenses of the command and to take care of the freight
bill. When the ordnance stores had been sent up from the State
Arsenal, the agents of the vessel had refused to deliver the
same at Trinidad unless the freight bill was paid. A citizen
of Trinidad, who was not connected with the militia company paid
the bill of $77.05, otherwise they would have been without these
supplies.
Apparently the necessary funds were not forthcoming, as this
volunteer company was only in active service approximately four
months.. However, the arms remained in their custody until January
1856, when Adjutant General Kibbe directed that S. G. Whipple
(active in the civic affairs of the community) receive and be
in receipt for the same. This step was taken on the earnest solicitation
of the citizens of Klamath County so as to retain the means of
defense in that vicinity. The territory on the Klamath River
was entirely unprotected and the emergency, which existed, fully
warranted this action.
An Indian War, if it can be properly so termed, was brought on
by the whites under the most aggravated circumstances. About
December 10, 1854, a ruffian had.attempted to molest an Indian
woman who was accompanied by an Indian boy. The bully killed
the boy and the Indians retaliated by killing an ox which had
formerly belonged to this ruffian. (1) Perhaps it was this difficulty
which led to the organization of the Klamath Rifles in an effort
to maintain law and order for the settlers.
The Klamath Rifles were formally mustered out May 26, 1855, and
Captain Young noted on the Muster Roll that the members of the
unit had not received pay or "emoluments" (2) of any
kind for their services.This document was approved by the commissioners
who had been appointed to examine Indian War Claims, and it is
assumed that the members of the Klamath Rifles were reembursed
for the expenses incurred after the final mustering out took
place.
Footnotes
(1) History of Humboldt County
Wallace W. Elliott & Company, San Francisco, 1881, page 153,
154.
(2) Emoluments--remuneration connected
with any office, occupation, or service, whether as salary, fee,.
or perquisite compensation.
This history was compiled
in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in conjunction
with the California National Guard and the California State Library.