Hydesville Volunteer Company (formed in 1859) was an American posse or local militia that fought Indian raids against the settlers in the Bald Hills War .
31-634: Soon after the 1858–1859 Wintoon War was over, Indians began slaughtering cattle in the Yager Creek region. In May 1859, rancher James C. Ellison was killed while he was pursuing some of the Indians who had taken his cattle. Regular army troops from Fort Humboldt were in the field, but the locals felt they were of no help in defending them. Fed up with the failure of the Army and the State to protect them,
62-622: A band of Indians of the Redwood Tribe had recently killed several persons, and committed many outrages upon the road from Weaverville to Humboldt Bay . Communication between these places was almost suspended because traveling on that route had become exceedingly dangerous. They were asking the Governor for a military force to open the route, and give protection and security to those who desired to travel over it. The Governor requested Adjutant General Kibbe to proceed to Weaverville and make
93-424: A desire to drive them from the country. Following the bad winter of 1857, the settlers' interference with the tribes' food supply had become a crisis by 1858. Following a series of small incidents between February and June 1858, hostilities were touched off by the killing of a packer, William E. Ross, June 23, 1858. The war began with conflicts between Whilkut native people, (known as "Redwoods" or "Wintoons" to
124-543: A detailed report of conditions in that region, to ascertain the number of Indians in the vicinity, and the character of the outrages that were committed by the hostiles. If hostilities still prevented travel on the road, and Whilkut still maintained a hostile attitude toward the people, the General was to organize a company of volunteer militia to suppress them if such acts were continued, as communication between these important towns must remain open, and protection must be given
155-598: A high price for all their produce selling them to the miners in Klamath and Trinity Counties. These goods were packed by mule and the stock driven in herds over the Bald Hills trails to the mines. For the Whilkut the surge in settlement by cattle and hog raising settlers into their lands in the Bald Hills, and the loss of the game, acorns and other plant foods they depended on, caused a feeling of hatred against them and
186-548: Is not to be confused with the Rogue River Wars which occurred in southern Oregon beginning in 1851 with fighting from June 17 to July 3, 1851, then again from August 8, through September 1853, and then again during 1856 from March to June. This article relating to the Indigenous peoples of North America is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This United States military history article
217-487: The 1st Battalion California Volunteer Mountaineers , a former Indian agent, local politician and newspaper editor, who advocated a more active execution of the war with men raised from among the local settlers used to the hardships of war in the redwood forests and the Bald Hills. Under his command of the Humboldt District he began a more active campaign of unrelenting extended patrolling and skirmishing by all
248-732: The Chilula , Lassik , Hupa , Mattole , Nongatl , Sinkyone , Tsnungwe , Wailaki , Whilkut and Wiyot Native American peoples. The war was fought within the boundaries of the counties of Mendocino , Trinity , Humboldt , Klamath , and Del Norte in Northern California . During the American Civil War , Army reorganization created the Department of the Pacific on 15 January 1861, and on 12 December 1861,
279-536: The Humboldt Military District , which was formed to organize the effort to unseat the native population. The district was headquartered at Fort Humboldt , which is now a California State Historic Park located within the City of Eureka, California . The District's efforts were directed at waging the ongoing Bald Hills War against the native people in those counties. There were several causes of
310-571: The Klamath River by the Yurok and Karok Native American tribes . Local miners wanted the Indians armed with guns and ammunition disarmed, anyone trading them to the Indians whipped and expelled from the County and any Indian found with firearms after that time was to be killed. Some of the Indians, mainly a group called the "Red Caps", refused to disarm, and hostilities began between them and
341-700: The Mad River , the other to patrol North Fork Yager Creek . On June 11, the Weekly Humboldt Times reported the Volunteers had ransacked a number of Indian ranches, killing some of them. A December 17, 1859 "Letter from Hydesville" in the Weekly Humboldt Times, complained that the writer wants a volunteer company under state authority to “suppress Indians” because citizens of Hydesville have been “taxed” $ 600–700 so far to support
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#1732783910561372-628: The 212 captured Indians at Fort Baker were sent to join 462 others at Fort Humboldt and held for a time in the makeshift prison created out on the Samoa Peninsula in Humboldt Bay. In September, 834 of these prisoners were then sent on the steamship SS Panama to the Smith River Reservation north of Crescent City with Fort Lincoln established nearby to guard the reservation and keep the natives in it. Seemingly
403-464: The Bald Hills War. The most important was the disruptive effect of commercial hunting and grazing on food plants by the herds of the settlers cattle and pigs. Hundreds of deer and elk were killed by parties of hunters for their hides, used for gloves in the gold mines. Acorns and other plant foods they depended on were eaten or destroyed by pigs or cattle. The hunting and gathering economy of
434-492: The Bald Hills tribes that had previously satisfied their wants was increasingly disrupted following the Klamath and Salmon River War in 1855. Ever increasing numbers of settlers and others traveling through their territory increased this disruption. From 1856 onward thousands of acres of native lands were preempted for the growing of wheat, oats, barley and potatoes and for grazing of cattle or pigs. These lands were chiefly in
465-613: The Bay towns of Union and Eureka agitated for the regular formation of Volunteer Companies, and raising money to defray their expenses. Public meetings of the citizens of Union and Eureka were held for the purpose of considering and adopting some method of protection to life and property during the continuance of the war with the Whilkut. On September 5, 1858, Governor John B. Weller informed Adjutant-General William C. Kibbe that citizens of Trinity and Humboldt counties had reported to him that
496-599: The Hydesville volunteers were disbanded the local citizens acted to replace them, formally organizing a state militia company, that would be called the Humboldt Volunteers . Bald Hills War [REDACTED] United States The Bald Hills War (1858–1864) was a war fought by the forces of the California Militia , California Volunteers and soldiers of the U.S. Army against
527-635: The Volunteer Company. Nevertheless, the volunteer companies continued to operate over the winter, the citizens believing that they would be paid back for their expenses. In January, the Hydesville Volunteers, unable to continue in the field at their own expense, were disbanded and dispersed to their homes, leaving no check to the advance of the Indians. On North Yager Creek a number of settlers banded together for mutual protection, but were powerless to assist their neighbors. After
558-469: The citizens at all hazards. William C. Kibbe , appointed Isaac G. Messec as Captain of the newly organized California Militia company, the Trinity Rangers . Messec led that unit in the Klamath & Humboldt Expedition against the Whilkut people during the fall and winter of 1858–1859. Following indecisive fighting, severe winter weather forced an end to the so-called Wintoon War, and
589-545: The end of the Civil War in 1865. Klamath and Salmon River War Klamath and Salmon River War , or Klamath War , or Red Cap War , or Klamath River Massacres , was an American Indian War which occurred in Klamath County California from January to March 1855. The war began from incidents between local settlers and local Indians and a rumor of an Indian uprising against the miners along
620-805: The miners. Troops from the California State Militia and U. S. Army eventually stepped in. The conflict resulted in killings on both sides. The massacres of Native peoples along the Klamath River are considered to be part of the California Genocide . The U.S. government issued an Executive Order creating the Yurok Reservation along the Lower Klamath River, compelling the indigenous population to cease resistance and relocate. This fighting
651-470: The newly formed Humboldt Military District under Col. Francis J. Lippitt . They established a number of posts to protect the settlers, but the troops raised outside the rugged Northwest were at first unsuited to conditions there, and failed to defeat the native peoples. However continued aggressive patrolling finally yielded results. Lassic and his band were driven to surrender on 31 July 1862, at Fort Baker . More of his warriors came in on August 10 and
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#1732783910561682-547: The settlers in the Eel River country formed the Humboldt Volunteers as a state militia unit, in early February 1860. However, on 26 February 1860 some settlers lashed out at the peaceful coastal Wiyot people in a series of killings around Humboldt Bay including the Indian Island Massacre . Some of the members of the Volunteers were implicated in these massacres, and although they were never prosecuted,
713-564: The settlers) and local settlers and travelers on the pack mule trails between Humboldt County and Trinity County in Klamath County on upper Redwood Creek and the Bald Hills . On July 1, 1858, three parties of volunteers were organized for a campaign against the Indians on Redwood Creek and Upper Mad River, in the vicinity of Pardee's Ranch . Following the failure of these local militia parties, in late August 1858, citizens of
744-585: The south to their lands. The U. S. Army established Fort Gaston among the Hupa people on the Trinity River and later posts in the Eel River valley to keep the peace in the area. Federal troops were unable to adequately protect the settlers from attacks by native raiders. Settlers dispersed over the countryside were on the losing side of this irregular warfare. Following the death of a local rancher who
775-739: The starving Whilkut were forced to capitulate and were removed to the Mendocino Indian Reservation under the eye of Fort Bragg . Despite the end of the Wintoon War, the causes of conflict spread the warfare to the Chilula , southward to the Eel River Athapaskan peoples and the Mattole in the Mattole River Valley and Bear River Valley. Additionally the Whilkut gradually returned from
806-517: The surrounding ranchers and citizens of Hydesville, California organized a volunteer company of 25 men May 28, 1859 to retaliate against the Indians. Bledsoe called it the "Hydesville Volunteer Company", although it had no formal name. This volunteer company was financed by the citizens of Hydesville. The company elected Abram Lyle, Captain; H. J. Davis, 1st Lieutenant; Eli Davis, 2nd Lieutenant; J. H. Morrison, Commissary & Quartermaster. They separated this command into two divisions, one to patrol
837-531: The unit was disbanded in late 1860. Gradually many settlers in the back country were compelled to abandon their ranches and farms and take shelter at the coastal settlements between 1860 and 1862. In late 1861 the Federal troops were recalled to the east to fight in the American Civil War. Elements of California Volunteer Regiments raised to replace Federal troops during the Civil War were sent to
868-574: The units of California Volunteer soldiers. Henry M. Black filled in while Whipple served in the Assembly for a few months, and maintained the operations that killed or captured many of the native people. Whipple's operations finally compelled most of the tribes to make peace in August, 1864. However, some operations continued into late 1864 before hostilities ceased completely. California Volunteers remained in local garrisons until mustered out following
899-449: The valleys of Eel River , Mad River and Bear River , and around Humboldt Bay . Ranches and farms appeared in the midst of wilderness where only two or three years before there had been no sign of a white man's presence. Also the lumber industry was operating nine steam saw mills, with a combined capacity of 24,000,000 board feet per annum, by 1856. The farmers and stockmen of Humboldt County found an outlet for their crops and realized
930-612: The war was being won. However, in early October Lassic and three hundred natives, mostly warriors escaped the Smith River Reservation. There followed an exodus of more natives from the Reservation through November. Things were then no better than they were before Lippitt's campaign began. During 1863 and 1864, the so-called Two Years' War, the conflict was brought to an end. Col. Lippett was relieved on July 13, 1863 by Lieutenant Colonel Stephen G. Whipple of
961-545: Was attempting to recover his cattle, the Hydesville Volunteer Company was formed in mid-1859, but it was never given State approval as a state militia unit or any state funding. It disbanded when local funding ran out in January 1860. The localities were financially not up to the task of maintaining the militia, and the State did not support them, seeing it as a Federal responsibility. Trying again,