Skirmish at Grass Valley

Skirmish at Grass Valley
Part of American Civil War
Date April 25, 1865 (1865-04-25) Location Grass Valley, California 39°13′9″N 121°3′30″W Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	Secessionists
Commanders and leaders
2nd Lt. M. E. Jimenez	David James William P, Durbin Charles Ramsey A. O, Laramel
Units involved
1st California Cavalry Battalion (Co.A)	Local Secessionists
Strength
25	10
Casualties and losses
2 Wounded	2 Wounded, 10 Captured

On April 25, 1865, Secessionists skirmished with 25 troopers of the 1st California Cavalry Battalion in Grass Valley, California in the wake of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Background

On March 15 Brig. Gen. John S. Mason, the new commander of the District of Arizona, directed the 1st California Cavalry Battalion to move east to fight the Apaches. The battalion was getting ready for the thousand-mile march when the news came about President Lincoln's assassination. In California hundreds of southern sympathizers across the state celebrated the news of Lincoln's assassination in the streets. A man in Butte County made some disrespectful comments about Lincoln, bragging about what he would do to the soldiers who came after him. He was armed with a "large Colt revolver." In the streets of Marysville, a man named L. W. Thomas, from Tennessee, walked about the town with a "silk Confederate flag" pinned to his chest. A group of pro-secessionist were rejoicing over the news in Grass Valley (some accounts say Green Valley). Earlier in the war this group had threatened to shoot Capt. Robinson for recruiting in the area. One of the members named Charles Ramsey had a son in the Confederate Army. That son also killed a man during a local squatter war by shooting him in the head with Charles watching and applauding the act. When word of this group's actions in Grass Valley reached military authorities at Benicia a detachment of soldiers from the 1st California Cavalry Battalion was sent to arrest them. The detachment consisted of 25 men of Company A and was commanded by Second Lieutenant M. E. Jimenez.

Skirmish

The detachment traveled to upper part of the valley to find David James's house (the reported location of the rebels). When they learned about the arrival of the soldiers in the valley, the secessionists fortified themselves in the house. As the detachment approached the house the rebels open fire, severely wounding privates Antonio Guilman and Juan Leon. The soldiers returned fire, wounding two of the rebels. After an exchange of fire the whole secessionist party surrendered to the soldiers.

Aftermath

The pro-Confederate party consisted of David James and two of his sons, William P, Durbin and his son, Charles Ramsey and his son, A. O, Laramel and his son, and John Stiltz. The prisoners were escorted by Company A to Benicia and later sent to San Francisco to be tried by a Military court for resisting the execution of the order. On June 3, just before elements of the 1st California Cavalry Battalion were scheduled for departure to Arizona, "...two secessionists arrested in the wake of President Lincoln's death escaped from the Camp Low guard house." Companies A and B were sent out to find the men, but after a week of searching the Californios discontinued the hunt and began their march to Arizona on 16 June. Private Antonio Guilman would later be discharged from the Army for a disability caused by the gunshot wound in his foot.

The incident at Grass Valley was the last engagement the Cavalry Battalion fought against Southern sympathizers.

See also

• Battle of Stanwix Station
• La Paz Incident