The Civil War Diary of Samuel James Corbett. A Source Book for the California One Hundred
first edition
1992 · Madera, California
by Corbett, Samuel James
Madera, California: The Classroom Chronicles Press, 1992 First edition. One of 500 copies (not numbered, as usual). By The Madera Method Historians
With a Special Preface by Irving Stone. Forward by Wayne Colwell. Quarto. Pp. xxiv, 248, [1]. Maps and portraits from old images throughout. Biographical sketches, bibliography. Dark blue cloth. Slight damage to bottom edge of front board, else a fine copy with white dust jacket, portrait of the author on front. ). Very scarce. Deep political divisions existed in California during the Civil War as the state was caught up in the rampant sectionalism of the time. Sympathy for the South was evident but it remained, for the most part, an unpopular position. Union sentiment ran high in California. Because of the political dissension within the state, the Lincoln administration never requested California troops for eastern battlefields. The great distance involved was also a factor. Nevertheless, the call for California volunteers went out, for men were needed to replace the regular troops stationed throughout the West. All in all, throughout the conflict, 15,000 California volunteers served at western outposts and prevented a possible Confederate toehold in the West. However, many young men were disappointed that Californians were denied the opportunity to join on the major battlefields of the East. Some key San Francisco businessmen (especially J. Sewell Reed) with official permission, raised a company of one hundred men in California, to be taken East and added to the Massachusetts quota (Massachusetts was at the time paying an enlistment bounty of $200 to each man). Within three weeks, 500 men had applied, although only a company of 100 was to be organized. Thus, the California One Hundred was formed and they embarked for the eastern battlefields in December, 1862 with brand new uniforms graciously supplied by San Francisco. This book is considered a great source for the company, the California One Hundred. (the printing and binding are sub-par, in my opinion, but indeed this work is a superb source for the subject).. (Inventory #: 8363)