Washington Territory in the American Civil War facts for kids
The Washington Territory had a very different role in the American Civil War compared to other states. It was very far from the main battlefields where the fighting happened. The territory sent a small number of volunteers to join the Union Army. However, these soldiers did not fight against the Confederate States Army. Instead, they guarded the area against possible attacks from other countries by sea or land. Even though there had been recent Indian Wars in Washington, there were no new conflicts with Native American tribes in the area during the Civil War. When the war began, what we now call Washington State was part of the Washington Territory. On March 3, 1863, the Idaho Territory was created from this land. This new territory included all of modern-day Idaho, Montana, and most of Wyoming. This left the area we know as Washington as the Washington Territory.
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Washington Territory Before the War
Before the Civil War, Washington Territory was one of the most distant places in the United States from the war's main fighting. The people living there had only recently found peace with local Native American tribes. They were still recovering from the fear and money problems caused by earlier wars. Another big worry was the recent Pig War. This was a dispute over San Juan Island that caused tension with Great Britain during the Civil War. Politically, many people in the territory supported the Democratic Party, which had members who were sympathetic to the Southern cause.
Washington Territory During the War
Volunteers for the Union Army
When the Civil War started, regular U.S. Army troops were called back from the Oregon area to fight in the East. But soldiers were still needed to protect the forts and outposts in Washington Territory. The acting governor, Henry M. McGill, asked for volunteers on May 10, 1861. However, not many people signed up at first.
On October 12, an important step was taken to get volunteers. Colonel Thomas A. Scott, an assistant secretary of war, asked Justus Steinberger to form a regiment of infantry. Colonel Steinberger arrived in the Puget Sound area in January 1862. After talking with local leaders, he realized he could only raise about three companies of soldiers in the territory.
Colonel Steinberger went to San Francisco, California, to recruit more soldiers. By May, he had four companies ready and two more on the way. These companies traveled to Fort Vancouver. Later, two more companies were raised in California. This made eight companies in total from California. The regiment was called the 1st Washington Territory Infantry Regiment. In the end, only two companies of this regiment were actually raised in Washington Territory. One of these companies (Company F) had many soldiers from Oregon. Company K was the only one made up entirely of men from Washington Territory. It was formed at Fort Steilacoom.
What the Volunteers Did
The volunteer soldiers in Washington Territory did not fight against the Confederacy. Instead, they guarded the few forts in Washington that were not left empty when the war began. They also protected important travel routes between the western and eastern United States in Oregon and Idaho. They guarded against Native American attacks and the threat of foreign countries like Britain and France getting involved. This foreign threat never happened. Three companies in the new Idaho Territory fought in expeditions to clear out Snake Indians who were threatening settlers in 1863 and 1864.
Washington Territorial Units
- 1st Regiment Washington Territory Volunteer Infantry
- Company F
- Company H
- Company K
Threats from Other Countries
Protecting the Coast
In 1862, people worried about possible attacks on the Columbia River by Confederate ships or the navies of the British Empire or French Empire. To protect the river's entrance, a camp was set up at Cape Disappointment. Fortifications were built there, and cannons were placed to guard the river. Company A of the U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment first guarded this post, followed by Company A of the 8th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry.
In 1863, another fort was built in Oregon on the south bank of the Columbia River. This was Fort at Point Adams, later called Fort Stevens. In 1864, the post at Cape Disappointment was renamed Fort Cape Disappointment. Even with these fears, these forts never saw any fighting against an enemy during the Civil War.
Britain's Idea to Take Washington
On December 28, 1861, during a time of tension called the Trent Affair, James Douglas, the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, wrote a letter. He suggested that Britain should take over Washington Territory while the U.S. was busy with the Civil War. He argued that there were very few U.S. troops in the region. Most soldiers had gone to fight in the East. He also noted that the territory's population was spread out, and there were few U.S. Navy ships nearby.
Governor Douglas believed the Royal Navy and Marines were strong enough to easily take the territory. He said that if Britain controlled Puget Sound and the Columbia River, they would control all the ways to travel by water. This would give them power over trade and soon force the territory to join Britain. However, British officials decided not to follow his plan. They did not want to risk a war with the United States.
Privateer Threats from Victoria
On March 15, 1863, a schooner named J. M. Chapman was seized in San Francisco harbor. It was about to sail as a Confederate privateer, which was a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships. This made Union supporters along the coast more watchful for other attempts to get ships for this purpose. Papers found on the J. M. Chapman showed plans to capture the USS Shubrick, but this plan seemed to have been dropped.
However, in early 1863, Allen Francis, the United States consul in Victoria, Vancouver Island, learned about a plot. He believed there was a plan to seize the Shubrick and turn it into a Confederate privateer. In what became known as the Shubrick Incident, the ship's captain, Pease, and most of the crew were fired. They were suspected of supporting the South. This happened when the Shubrick next visited Victoria. While the captain and many crew members were on shore, Lieutenant Selden, the second in command, sailed the ship away with only six men on board. He took it to Port Townsend.
On May 13, 1863, Consul Francis wrote to Captain Hopkins of the United States Navy steamer USS Saginaw. He said:
There is still in this city a rebel organization, which has had several meetings within the last few weeks. They are awaiting, it seems from rumors, the receipt of letters of marque from the president of the so-called Confederate States. At this moment an English steamer, called the Fusi Yama, is expected in this port from England, and it is rumored that she is to be purchased for a privateer."
The USS Saginaw searched Puget Sound and the Straits of San Juan de Fuca but found no privateer.
Consul Francis raised the alarm again in October 1863. He learned that the leader of this "Southern Association" had contacted Judah P. Benjamin, the Confederate Secretary of State. They wanted to get permission to use a ship as a privateer. When Francis discovered two British ships entering the port, one with weapons and the other with iron, he feared they would be used by the Confederacy. He told the Navy, which sent USS Narragansett to patrol the waters near Victoria. The "Southern Association" never managed to get a privateer ship.
Civil War Posts in Washington Territory
These are some of the military posts in Washington Territory during the Civil War (after March 3, 1863):
- Fort Colville, Washington Territory, 1859–1882
- Fort Steilacoom, Washington Territory, 1849–1868
- Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory, 1853–1879
- Fort Cascades, Washington Territory, 1855–1861
- Fort Townsend, Washington Territory, 1856–1861
- Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory, 1856–1911
- Camp Pickett, Washington Territory, 1859–1863
- Post of San Juan, Washington Territory, 1863–1867
- Camp Chehalis, Washington Territory, 1860–1861
- Post at Cape Disappointment, Washington Territory, 1862–1864
- Fort Cape Disappointment, Washington Territory, 1864–1875
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