Murray, Walter Reminiscences, 1846-1848

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Summary

Creators:
Murray, Walter, 1826-1875
Abstract:
"Narrative of a California Volunteer" is a memoir by Judge Walter Murray that details his experiences as a member of Colonel Stevenson's 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers. The Regiment was formed in New York in 1846 to serve in California during the Mexican American War. It was transported around Cape Horn in 5 Ships and the troops were garrisoned at Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego. Murray's company arrived in San Francisco in 1847 and served in Santa Barbara. They were sent on to Baja California where they fought in the Battle and Siege of La Paz.
Extent:
1.0 folder (1 bound volume - 158 pages)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Walter Murray Reminiscences. The Society of California Pioneers.

Background

Scope and content:

Walter Murray joined the Stevenson Regiment, known commonly as the California Volunteers or the 1st New York Infantry Regiment, in July of 1846. The company began its training on Governors Island in New York and two months later boards the Loo Choo for California. The company spent nearly seven months on the ship, sailing around Cape Horn and landing in Santa Barbara in early April of 1847. Murray discusses the training the company received, describes his duties, and provides very detailed descriptions of the native Californians and the lands surrounding Santa Barbara. Soon the regiment sailed to Lower California (now known as Baja California) on the Lexington in order to occupy La Paz. Murray carefully describes what it was like to wait for the Mexican army to arrive and then recounts at length the attack on his garrison and the battles that commenced.

The account is left unfinished, in mid-sentence. Pencil notes throughout appear to be an attempt at editing. As the original narrative is faded in places and difficult to read, researchers should consult the typed copies in the biography file.

Biographical / historical:

Walter Murray was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1826. Apprenticed to a lawyer, he was sent to America in 1842; by 1846 he was living in New York, where he learned of the California Volunteers, a regiment commanded by Col. Jonathan D. Stevenson of New York. The regiment was intended to serve in the Mexican War with the understanding that, following the American possession of California, the Volunteers would be discharged and provided with settlements in the newly obtained land. Murray’s company was one of the few to see actual battle, as most of Stevenson’s Regiment arrived in California too late to take part in military service. Following his duties with the Volunteers, Murray tried his hand at mining gold in Sonora and, finding it unsuitable, made his living providing miners with supplies from San Francisco. Murray also established and published the Sonora Herald. Having married, Murray moved to San Luis Obispo, where he studied law, served as a Justice of the Peace, and published the San Luis Obispo Tribune. At the time of his death in 1875, Murray was the District Judge of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

(Information on Stevenson’s Regiment, or the California Volunteers, was obtained from James D. Hart’s A Companion to California, University of California Press, 1987.)

Acquisition information:
Gift of Fannie Murray and Anita Murray Unangst, 1941.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

The are no restrictions on access.

Preferred citation:

Walter Murray Reminiscences. The Society of California Pioneers.

Location of this collection:
300 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94107, US
Contact:
(415) 957-1849 ext. 160
mmdevine@californiapioneers.org
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