Historic California Militia and National Guard Units

Sigel Guard

 

Military Unit Designation: Sigel Guard, Company B, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, California Militia
Date of Organization: April 28, 1862
Date of Disbanding: August 16, 1866
Inclusive dates of units papers: 1862-1866
Geographical Location or Locations: Sonora, Tuolumne County

Records Series Descriptions:

a. Organization Papers 2 documents (1862)
b. Bonds 1 document (1864)
c. Correspondence (Unclassified letters) 23 documents (1862-1864)
d. Election Returns 6 documents (1862-1865)
e. Exempt Certificates, Applications for none
f. Muster Rolls, Monthly returns 6 documents (1863-1866)
g. Oaths Qualifications 5 documents (1862-1863)
h. Orders none
i. Receipts, invoices 14 documents (1862-1863)
j. Requisitions 2 documents (1862)
k. Resignations 2 documents (1863-1864)
l. Target Practice Reports none
m. Other none

Commanding Officers

Name	Date of Rank	Date of Commission	Remarks
H. K. White, Captain		May 1862
S. D. Blaisdale, First Lieutenant		May 1862
S. B. Blaisdale, Captain	12 May 1862	18 November 1862
W. W. Traylor, First Lieutenant	12 May 1862	18 November 1862
W. W. Traylor, Captain	4 April 1863	14 April 1863
W. S. Cooper, First Lieutenant	4 April 1863	14 April 1863	Resigned 16 August 1863
Frank York, First Lieutenant	29 August 1863	8 September 1863
S. B. Blaisdale, Captain			Reelected 21 May 1864
George Holt, First Lieutenant	21 May 1864	7 June 1864
George Holt, Captain		7 June 1865
William G. Long		7 June 1865

In April 1862 County Judge G. T. Marin, of Sonora, Tuolumne County, requested Charles Radcliff to preside over a meeting to form a volunteer military company, known as Sigel Guard, . Company B. With the minutes of the meeting duly recorded on April 28th that year and with H. K. White as Captain, the Sigel Guard became part of California's militia force. The Sigel Guard was located in Sonora, which was a stronghold of the Democratic Party, whose sympathies were with the South during the War of the Rebellion. While a few miles away in the town of Columbia, was the Republican element favoring the North. Encounters both physical and verbal were a common occurrence between citizens of the two towns. This company true to their oath of allegiance to the State of California, often found themselves in the unique position of having to quell any riotous display by the Secessionists with whom they sympathized.

Captain Blaisdell, who had succeeded Captain White, resigned his command in april 1863, to enlist in the regular United States Army. Many members of the company tried to do likewise, but were told that their services were needed more in California to maintain law and order among the Northern and Southern factions. With the close of the Civil War in 1865, the need for the Sigel Guard diminished. In a letter to the Adjutant General, the members requested that the unit be mustered out of service. This request was complied with August 16, 1866.

This history was completed in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in conjunction with the California National Guard and the California State Library.

 

 

 

Colonel Franz Sigel

 

Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated 8 February 2016