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The California Column, is an Arizona based reenactment group organized to recreate the volunteer soldiers of California who filled the ranks as loyal Americans during the Civil War.
At this time, our group specifically recreates two companies of the Column, Company A, 1st California Infantry and Company A, 1st California Cavalry, which crossed the Southern California and Arizona deserts in the spring of 1862.
The Column, which served proudly under the watchful eye of General James Carleton, began this expedition in response to the movement of the Texans into the New Mexico Territory.
On April 15, 1862, these soldiers met the Confederates and a short sharp fight took place at Picacho, leaving 3 members of the Column dead and two wounded. In addition, 1 Confederate was killed and 4 wounded while the remaining 9 Confederates were able to escape and return to Tucson to warn of the advance of the Column.
Over the course of the next several months the members of the Column continued to move eastward into the N. M. Territory and even as far as Ft. Davis in Texas.
For the next several years the various regiments and companies of the Column were spread out across the N. M. Territory, NW Texas and the newly established Arizona Territory building forts, conducting operations against the natives and reestablishing mining operations in the mineral rich territories.
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