The Civil War on the Western Seaboard

THE CIVIL WAR ON THE WESTERN SEABOARD Aurora Hunt The Pacific Squadron of a century ago played an important part in world affairs by maintaining peace in an ocean where ships of aU nations sailed and dropped anchor. Some of these pursued legitimate commerce , others entertained ulterior motives. A number of tense situations prevailed in die Pacific area. A flotiUa of Spanish, English, and French warships arrived at Vera Cruz and threatened to seize and hold die Mexican coast until satisfactory settlement of the Mexican foreign debt could be accomplished.1 The West Coast lay too close to die affair to regard it dispassionately, and it was alarmed by die prospect of an aUiance between the Confederacy and Mexico which might be abetted by one or more of the foreign powers at Vera Cruz. In the north off the Washington Territory coast, English and die United States troops jointly occupied San Juan Island, since ownership of the island had not been settled. Spain jealously eyed her lost colonies in South America, as her warships plowed die Pacific. The vulnerabüity of the West Coast was readUy apparent. San Francisco harbor remained die only fortified point on die entire coast, and its loss might mean the surrender of die entire shore from San Diego to Puget Sound.2 The urgency of the situation increased sharply when nearly all the Federal müitary posts in Texas were either abandoned by their troops or captured by die Texans, who had adopted an ordinance of secession early in February, 1861. By the end of die summer, the Arizona forts as well as those in New Mexico south of Fort Craig had been deserted by die Union forces. Aurora Hunt, of Whittier, California, is the author of three full-length historical studies. She is now completing a biography of William S. Rosecrans. !Herbert Ingram Priesdey, The Mexican Nation (New York, 1924), pp. 335, 340, 347. 2 U.S. War Dept. (comp.), The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Washington, 1880-1901), Ser. I, L, pt. 1, 697. Hereafter cited as OR, with all references to Ser. I. 178 To add to die dilemma of die predominantly pro-Union inhabitants of the West Coast, aU the Federal troops in the Department of the Pacific were ordered east for duty except four companies of artiUery and one regiment of infantry. Since guns and ammunition were needed for the protection of the national capital, thirty thousand stand of arms were shipped from the Benicia Arsenal and two twenty-four-pounder guns were forwarded to San Diego to protect the southern border.3 The task facing the Pacific Squadron was formidable. How preposterous it would now appear if the Secretary of the Navy were to issue orders to stoke up the furnaces and unfurl the sails of six smaU wooden vessels and patrol the Pacific Ocean! Yet these U.S. sloops-of-war, the Lancaster, Saranac, Wyoming, Narragansett, St. Mary's, and Cyane, comprised the entire Pacific fleet in 1861. The total strength of aU represented an insignificant amount of tonnage, guns, and men. The sum of their tonnage was less than seven thousand; die guns numbered about one hundred; the men less than a thousand. One-half of die vessels had been in service from twelve to twenty years.4 The Pacific fleet, nevertheless, attempted to fulfiU her mission by the judicious employment of avaUable ships and men. Of first importance was protection of the mail steamers leaving California with heavy shipments of gold. To insure their safety Commodore J. B. Montgomery, fleet commander, ordered three of the old sloops-of-war, the Wyoming, Narragansett, and Cyane, to cruise along the coast of California and Mexico to intercept any hostile craft. Each maU steamer was also suppUed with four thirty-two-pounder guns from the Benicia Arsenal.5 During the following year, 1862, the tiny Federal naval force in the Pacific remained unchanged, with the exception that the Wyoming was detached and set to the East Indies, and Rear Admiral Charles E. Bell succeeded Commodore Montgomery as commander. Although the Pacific Squadron encountered no opposition tiiat year, her...