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California and the Civil War: Manuscript Report on the Vulnerable Parts of the Northern California Coast

With Additional 1862 letters signed by McPherson from Corinth, Mississippi concerning Railroads

From the Collection of Estelle Doheny

A remarkable group of four manuscript items by and relating to James B. McPherson, including his 1861 draft report on the California's coastal vulnerabilities. McPherson, a highly lauded Union Army officer who began his Civil War career in California, rose rapidly to the rank of Major General while garnering effusive praise from both Grant and Sherman, only to be killed in the Battle of Atlanta in 1864 at the age of 35.

The importance of guarding the California coast during the Civil War and thus the background to McPherson's report has been summarized by Benjamin Franklin Gilbert:

The commercial and strategic importance of San Francisco...during the Civil War focused attention on the defense problems of the bay area. Confederate privateers and raiders were threatening California gold shipments, vital to the North; and suspicious operations were being carried on by foreign warships. As a result, the duties of the U.S. Pacific squadron, in defending the coastline and performing customary diplomatic missions, were greatly increased...San Francisco authorities, both military and civic... continually petitioned the federal government for more adequate defenses. - Franklin, "San Francisco Harbor Defense During the Civil War"

The present offering consists of the following items, including a detailed and apparently unpublished draft survey of the significant landing places along the California coast between San Francisco and Monterey.

1. Memoir of a Military Reconnaissance of the Coast & the coast routes from San Francisco to Monterey, Cal: - made in accordance with instructions from Brig. Genl. Jos. G. Totten, Chief Engineer U.S.A. by 1st Lt. Jas. B. McPherson, Corps of Engs. June 1861.  23 pages of manuscript text (mostly in pencil, with last two pages in ink), paginated as follows: 1-16, 21-27 pages. Extensive emendations to the text, suggestive of a draft document. While the survey was made to detect potential landing places for enemy ships on the California coast, it is also valuable to modern day environmental historians as a snapshot of the northern California coast in 1861. Land uses are described, including agricultural activities, lumber shipping points, and fishing activities. A few excerpts from this detailed report here follow:

Nature of the Coast and landing places. Commencing at Fort Point and proceeding down the coast. The first place which offers facilities for landing troops lies just north of Pt. Lobos near the outlet of Lobos creek there is a sandy beach of about 3/4 mile in extent quite far from [?] and upon which the surf brakes with comparatively little force - during the greater part of the year.This landing [?] is within view of Fort Point - though beyond the effective range of its guns, but will I presume to effectually armed by the additional defences which are to be [thrown?] up on the land side.

The shore around Pt. Lobos is bold and precipitous with numerous detached rocks and strong currents

From the southern end of the "Ocean Beach" to within a short distance of Pt. San Pedro the shore is very rugged and [?] affording no good landing place or protection for boats - just to the north of Point San Pedro - 20 miles from the city - is a landing place of limited extent sometimes used by fishermen and during the winter season unless a storm is raging a body of troops could be landed at safely - with all their ammunition; field artillery - From Point San Pedro to Point Corral de Tierra the shore is generally bold and precipitous and the bluff [?] principally of rock and ranging in height from twenty to two hundred and fifty feet - with numerous detached rocks along shore making the coast very dangerous. After passing Point Carmal de Tuna Half Moon Bay 28 miles from the city is reached which constitutes one of the best landing places.

From Pescador Creek to Pigeon point there are one or two sandy beaches of very limited [?] or which a landing might be effected but the operation would be extremely hazardous.The landing at Pigeon Point though marked on the Coast Survey map as good except in a S.E. storm - is nevertheless unfavorable for the debarcation of troops & especially horses - and heavy artillery.

From Pigeon Pt. to Pt. Año Nuevo the coast is rugged with a heavy, dangerous surf breaking along shore, though the bluff is not very high.

There is one landing place called "Williams Landing" from which large quantities of lumber is shipped, but the method of loading and unloading is similar to Piegon Point. Santa Cruz which lies at the northern extremity of the Bay of Monterey affords a good shelter for ships and a fine landing place for troops with all their supplies except during the prevalence of S.E. & S.W. winds. 

Character of the Country-

The face of the country from the extreme point of the peninsula in which the city of San Francisco is built as far south as Monterey is extremely broken and diversified. 

Roads, communications &c.-

From the fact ? that the Country to the north of this ? is very open so that troops can ? in almost any direction.

Towns, Population, &c.

Santa Cruz situated at the mouth of San Lorenzo Coast near the northern extremity of the Bay of Monterey is one of the most flurishing towns in the State, and is distinguished for its Land, Lumber & Tanneries. It has also an extensive paper mill, besides other manufacturing interests.

Watsonville located on the Pajaro River about four miles from its mouth has a population of six or seven hundred and depends chiefly for its prosperity upon the rich valley of the Pajaro.

Monterey formerly the Capital of Upper California and a place of considerable note, located at the [?] extremity of the Bay... nearly all of its commercial importance & is [?] in wealth  and interest. The population is chiefly native Californians - there not being [?] truly American families in the place.

San Juan 36 miles from Monterey on the Eastern slope of the Mountain is a thriving little country town, with a population of five or six hundred, made up of Americans, foreigners and native Californians - the latter being the most numerous.

San José located in the rich and highly cultivated valley of that name, is the center of quite an extensive trade, is very flourishing and contains a population of from two thousand to twenty five hundred.

Santa Clara is a another flurishing little town only a few thirty miles from San José; it has considerable local trade and a fine college under the control of the Catholics.

2. Manuscript document, signed by General Joseph G. Totten. Washington, D.C. May 7, 1861. 12 numbered folio leaves written on rectos only. Detailed instructions addressed to McPherson ordering the survey of the California coast.

3. A.L.S. from General Joseph G. Totten to McPherson. Washington, D.C. Aug. 30, 1861. 1 page. A letter of commendation by Gen. Totten to Gen. McPherson praising the latter's map of the coast of California from San Francisco to Monterey, wherein Totten states:

The response thus made by you to the call of the Department for a Reconnaissance of this region of country is full of interest, and will be placed on the files of the office for reference, as affording information of much value respecting the country embraced by your examinations.

4. A.L.S. from James McPherson on United States Military Railroad letterhead, Superintendent's Office. Corinth, Mississippi. Sept. 12, 1862. 1 1/2 pages of manuscript text.

This fascinating Civil War letter is addressed to the Assistant Superintendent at Columbus and relates to the seizure of contraband railroads for Union military use. Created in February 1862, the United States Military Railroads grew into an immense operation as invading Union armies took over captured Southern railroads and even built new ones. At the time of this letter McPherson, freshly promoted to brigadier general, was on the staff of General Grant, and was evidently in charge of the important railroad junction at Corinth, Mississippi, where the Mobile and Ohio Railroad intersected with the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. This was a vital and strategic transportation link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River which had been a destination for large numbers of confederate troops earlier in the year.  

Here follows the text of the letter:

All right make an arrangement with Beard & Stuart to get the cars up as soon as practicable. With regard to contraband Rail Road I [know?] we have a right to seize it and use it for military purposes but no right to transfer it to any Civil Authority without an order from the Secretary of War - I know judge Thimble would be glad to get it, and it might be of great advantage to us to have the R.R. opened to Paducah, but Genl. Halleck settled the matter when the judge was down here since two months ago to see about getting time off of another Road. You can say to the judge that he will have to get an order from the Secretary of War before I can take the issue over to him.  Yours truly, James B. McPherson.

[postscript on verso of sheet]:

Set time ahead thirty minutes at 12 M. to night I will do so here, and notify Jackson and all parties at this end of the route. 14th Sept. J.B. McP. 

General James Birdseye McPherson (1828-1864)

James B. McPherson graduated first in his class at West Point – where his classmates included Philip H. Sheridan, John M. Schofield, and John Bell Hood. At the start of the Civil War McPherson was stationed at San Francisco, where he had supervised the construction of the considerable defenses on Alcatraz Island in the late 1850s. The Civil War further focused attention on the defense problems of the Bay Area, especially the need to counter the threats posed by Confederate privateers and foreign warships. The instructions from Gen. Joseph G. Totten to McPherson included in the present offering relate to the urgent need to survey such vulnerabilities near San Francisco. Not content to stay in California, McPherson requested and received a transfer to active army duty in the field. He departed California on August 1, 1861, having requested a position on the staff of Major General Henry W. Halleck, one of the senior Western commanders and someone with whom McPherson was already familiar. From June to October 1862 McPherson was in charge of the railroads in western Tennessee, as well as other southern railroads seized by the Union Army. He commanded the right wing of Grant's army in the advance along the Mississippi Central Railroad, and was engaged at Lamar, Mississippi, in November of 1862, and in various skirmishes during the advance to and retreat from Oxford, Mississippi. Throughout his service McPherson was conspicuous for his skill and personal bravery. General Grant recommended him to the War Department for an appointment as brigadier-general in the regular army, which appointment was made to date from 1 Aug. 1863.  At the surrender of Vicksburg, McPherson was one of the commissioners tasked to fix the terms of capitulation. In February 1864, he took part in Sherman's expedition to Meridian, Mississippi.

McPherson served in the Battle of Fort Henry, the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Siege of Vicksburg. He was killed on July 22, 1864 during the Atlanta campaign, while facing troops under the command of his West Point classmate, John B. Hood.  It was said that General Sherman openly wept upon learning of McPherson’s death.

Gen. McPherson died in command of an army of about 30,000 men, at the age of thirty-five, and while his career was one of the highest distinction, yet it fell short of the full measure it must have attained had he lived till the close of the war. From the first Gen. Grant was impressed with his genius and courage, and he always spoke of him in terms of unbounded praise. When Grant came to the east to take command of his armies in March 1864, he wrote to Sherman: "I want to express my thanks to you and McPherson, as the men to whom, above all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have had of success - Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, vol. 4, pages 157-158.

Provenance

From the noted collection of Estelle Doheny, with her leather book label.

Rarity

Original materials relating to McPherson are rare in the market, particularly items dating to this time in California. McPherson's premature death, at age 35, is one cause for the paucity of documents.