Conditions Governing Access note
Conditions Governing Use note
Preferred Citation note
Donor
Biographical/Historical note
Scope and Contents note
Existence and Location of Originals note
Existence and Location of Copies note
Title: Murray, Walter Reminiscences
Identifier/Call Number: C058565
Contributing Institution:
Society of California Pioneers
Language of Material:
English
Container: B001629
Container: C058565
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
(1 bound volume - 158 pages)
Date (inclusive): 1846-1848
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.
creator:
Murray, Walter, 1826-1875
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection open for research.
Conditions Governing Use note
The are no restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation note
Walter Murray Reminiscences. The Society of California Pioneers.
Donor
Gift of Fannie Murray and Anita Murray Unangst, 1941.
Biographical/Historical note
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.)
Scope and Contents note
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.
Existence and Location of Originals note
The Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth St, San Francisco, CA 94107.
Existence and Location of Copies note
A typed transcript of the original handwritten journal is kept in the Society's Biographical Files under "Murray, Walter,
Judge"
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California Military History 19th Century
California--History--1846-1850
La Paz (Baja California Sur, Mexico)
Lexington (Sloop)
Loo Choo (Ship)
Mexican War, 1846-1848--California.
Mexican War, 1846-1848--Military Personnel--American
Santa Barbara (Calif.)
Voyages and travels -- 19th century
Voyages to the Pacific coast