1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union)

Brief History
The 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry was organized at large in California March, 1863 to July 1864. The battalion assigned to duty in the District of Arizona May, 1865 and operated against Indians in that District until April 1866. The battalion mustered out April 2, 1866.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 821 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Company A - recruited from Yuba County, Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, Alameda County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, San Francisco County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Ventura County.

Company B - recruited from El Dorado County, Sacramento County, San Francisco County, and Monterey County

Company C - recruited from Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, and Ventura County.

Company D - recruited from Los Angeles County

The above information about counties is from the California State Military Museum page for the 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers.

Other Sources

 * California State Military Museum includes a history of the battalion with maps and references to sources.


 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘California in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * California in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for California, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Parkin, Nona. Military records. (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996),