California Battalion - Battalion Organization

Battalion Organization

• Commanding officer: Lt.-Colonel John C. Fremont US Army
• Second in command: Major Archibald Gillespie USMC

The battalion was organized into eight companies:

• Co. A. Capt. Richard "Dick" Owens (Owens Valley; Owens River) Wm. N. Loker, 1st lieutenant, appointed adjutant, 10 Feb. 1847; B.M. Hudspeth, 2d lieutenant, appointed captain, Feb. 1847, Wm. Findlay, 2nd lieutenant, appointed captain, Feb. 1847.
• Co. B. Capt. Henry L. Ford (nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln); Andrew Copeland, 1st lieutenant.
• Co. C. Capt. Granville P. Swift; Wm. Baldridge, 1st lieutenant; Wm. Hartgrove, 2nd lieutenant.
• Co. D. Capt. John Sears; Wm. Bradshaw, 1st lieutenant.
• Co. E. Capt. John Grigsby; Archibald Jesse, 1st lieutenant.
• Co. F. Capt. Lansford W. Hastings (Hastings Cut-Off fame); Wornbough, 1st lieutenant; J.M. Hudspeth, 2nd lieutenant.
• Co. G. Capt. Bluford K. "Hell Roaring" Thompson; Davis 1st lieutenant; Rock, 2nd lieutenant.
• Co. H. Capt. Richard T. Jacob; Edwin Bryant, 1st lieutenant (afterwards alcalde at San Francisco); Geo. M. Lippincott, 2nd lieutenant (of New York). About 34 Indians were in this company. The Indians typically were employed as scouts and guards in front and in back of the column while transiting.
• Co. Artillery. Capt. Louis McLane U.S. Navy, (in charge of their two small cannons) (promoted to major); John. K. Wilson, 1st lieutenant, (appointed captain in January, 1847); Wm. Blackburn, 2nd lieutenant. (later alcalde of Santa Cruz).

And outriders, hunters, couriers, and scouts, including Delaware, Cosumnes River, Walla Walla and Chinook Indians, scouts Kit Carson (enrolled as a Lieutenant) and Alexander Godey, captain (appointed by Stockton);.

• Officers on detached Service and doing Duty at the South.–Samuel J. Hensley, captain; S. Gibson, captain (lanced through the body at Battle of San Pasqual); Miguel Pedrorena, captain, Spaniard (appointed by Stockton); Santiago Argüello, captain, Californian (appointed by Stockton); Bell, captain (appointed by Stockton), old resident of California (Los Angeles); H. Rhenshaw, 1st lieutenant, (appointed by Stockton); Jas. Barton, captain (appointed by Stockton); L. Arguello, captain, Californian (appointed by Stockton).

The complete roster of the California Battalion is given by the following two references.