California 1st Veteran Infantry - Union

HISTORICAL NOTES:
The California 1st Veteran Infantry battalion was organized during the months of November and December, 1864, by consolidating the veterans of the First Infantry, California Volunteers, into two companies, which became Companies A and B, and consolidating the companies of Fifth Infantry into five companies, which became Companies C, D, E, F, and G, of the battalion.

On March 16, 1865, a Company F was broken up for the purpose of distributing the men among the other companies, due to the difficulty in obtaining recruits to keep up all the companies to the minimum required by law. The same order directed Colonel Rigg (formerly of 1st California Infantry) to assume command with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, with headquarters at Fort Craig. The battalion was mustered out in September 1866.

When this battalion was mustered out in September 1866, officers and members who wished to be mustered out in California were consolidated into a company, under Captain William F. French, First Lieutenant Robert Edmiston, and Second Lieutenant William Oman and marched to the Presidio, San Francisco, where they arrived December 28, and were mustered out on December 31, 1866. The men of this company mustered out at the Presidio were accounted for in the individual record as having been "discharged at San Francisco, December 31, 1866, by final muster out of the regiment." OFFICERS:

Major Joseph Smith November 1864 - March 16, 1865

Lieutenant Colonel Edwin A. Rigg, March 16, 1865 - September 20, 1866.

SERVICE: ROSTER: The roster of this unit contains the names of 626 men.

Field Staff and Band
Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D
Company E
Company F
Company G
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