Author Archives: Jon Henry

Due to a range of circumstances, General George Wright Camp 22 has not been active for quite some time. Within the past year, however, problems have been resolved and hurdles have been cleared, and we are happy to announce that Camp 22 and Company B are back up and running! We will post more info about upcoming meetings and events shortly. Our new slate of officers will also be updated over on the “About Us” tab on our home page. Thank you to the Camp Brothers and our supportive public for all the generous past support; we’re looking forward to the future!

Beginning in February 2023, the Gen. Wright Camp 22 monthly meeting will be held on the first Friday of each month. The time and location remain the same: 6:30PM at Sam’s Hofbrau (2500 Watt Ave, Sacramento CA 95821).

Members and guests are welcome. If you’re curious about our organization, please come out and meet some of our members and enjoy a great meal!

Mark your calendars: one of the highlight events of Civil War education and living history is coming up soon!

Please use the contact info below to let the Event Coordinator know if you plan to attend.

After a long, hot summer, we again have the opportunity to play in cool weather (perhaps even fog) and on hallowed ground. Our Fall Living History Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 14, and we hope you can make it.

Once again, we need your name and impression and – Very Important; if you will be parking at Ft. Mason and using the park service shuttle to & from the Alcatraz Cruises Dock.

More information is available on the Friends of Civil War Alcatraz website: Friendsofcivilwaralcatraz.org

Best regards and looking forward to hearing from you,

John Nevins, Event Coordinator
FOCWA
Email: scss1co@comcast.net
Phone: 916-560-8505

There are two important headstone dedication ceremonies coming up in the SF Bay area. The first will be August 17 (in conjunction with the annual Fort Point Living History Day). This dedication will be at the SF National Cemetery at the grave site of Matthew Arthur, US Navy. He served aboard two ironclads (the USS Carondelet and USS Lafayette) and was awarded the Medal of Honor for action in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862.

The second dedication ceremony will be on September 21, at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery for Major Jose Ramón Pico, of the 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry, one of a very few Lancer Cavalry units to serve in the war.

Please see the below message from Department Graves Registration Officer Kenneth Felton for more details on the ceremonies.

Hello fellow SUVCW Brothers;  and Friends of Pio Pico; and others,


I have contacted a Mr. Andrew M. Crockett, a local Historian, and discussed with him what would be a good date for the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Major Jose Ramon Pico.  We tentatively set the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Saturday, September 21, 2019.  I think that a starting time for about 12 Noon might work well for this ceremony.  Mr. Andrew M. Crockett said that he believes that a lot of people he knows (maybe a hundred people – ??) might be able to attend the Headstone Dedication Ceremony.  Andrew said that the September 21, 2019 date might be a very good date for the ceremony, and that a September date will allow more time for him to contact people and promote this event.


I am hoping that the Jose Ramon Pico granite government furnished Military Headstone will arrive at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery sometime in the next month (early or mid July, 2019).  I will keep trying to contact the cemetery office to learn when the headstone arrives.  I can advise the cemetery office about the planned Headstone Dedication Ceremony, once the headstone has arrived and it has been set in its proper place. The Santa Clara Mission Cemetery is located at the following location:


                             Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
                             490 Lincoln Street
                             Santa Clara, CA 95050
                             (408) 296-4656  


This grave of Major Jose Ramon Pico is located  Cemetery Section: BLOCK 3 OLD ; and Cemetery Lot: 82.  I am working on the wording of the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Jose Ramon Pico.


Another Headstone Dedication Ceremony for the “Medal of Honor” Marker of the grave of Matthew Arthur, Engineer – U.S. Navy is being planned for Matthew Arthur’s grave at San Francisco National Cemetery (Cemetery Section: OS; Row: 16; Grave Site: 1) on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at about 1:00 pm.


Matthew Arthur was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 10, 1863 for his service on the U.S.S. Carondelet (a Civil War era Iron Clad Ship) during the Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson of February 6 and 14 of 1862.  Matthew Arthur served as the Signal Quartermaster and Captain of a rifled bow gun on the U.S.S. Carondelet.  Matthew Arthur was discharged from the U.S. Navy as an Engineer on July 24, 1863.  He was serving at the time of his discharge on the U.S.S. Lafayette (another Civil War era Iron Clad Ship).  This Dedication Headstone Ceremony for Matthew Arthur is planned for Saturday, August 17, 2019 at San Francisco National Cemetery.  The location of the grave of Matthew Arthur, recipient of the Medal of Honor, during the U.S. Civil War, was unknown until just a few years ago.  The “Medal of Honor” marker was finally installed at his grave site during the Summer of 2017.


Many Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Civil War Re-enactors will be at Fort Point in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at the Fort Point Civil War Living History Day event.  I propose that this Matthew Arthur Headstone Dedication Ceremony take place about 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at San Francisco National Cemetery.  This cemetery is located very close to Fort Point.  So this date is a good date to have this ceremony.  It is a short trip from Fort Point to San Francisco National Cemetery.  I and a few others can help car pool those interested in helping in this Headstone Dedication Ceremony from Fort Point to the cemetery and back.  This Headstone Dedication Ceremony can be jointly conducted by multiple northern California SUVCW Camps (i.e. Camp No. 4; Camp No. 10; Camp No. 22; Camp No. 23; Camp No. 24; Camp No. 30; and any other camps who wish to attend).  I am presently working on the wording of the Matthew Arthur Headstone Dedication Ceremony.


I was not able to find any evidence of Matthew Arthur ever being married or having any children.  So I don’t know if I will be able to find any close relatives of Matthew Arthur to attend this Headstone Dedication Ceremony.  Matthew Arthur was born in 1835 in Scotland and he died on March 17, 1890 in San Francisco, California.  Matthew Arthur’s parents are: Robert John Arthur (Father), born on October 13, 1802 in Renfrewshire, Scotland and died on May 30, 1850 in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, VA (present day West Virginia); and Ann Elizabeth Tucker (born 1817 and died 1880).   I did find that Matthew Arthur did have a younger brother (John Oswald Arthur, born about 1843 and died 1918) and a younger sister (Maria Arthur, born about 1839 and died – ??).  There might sill be some related Arthur Family living today (??).  Matthew Arthur was first buried at Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery (near the Cliff House) in San Francisco, California.  About 1912, Matthew Arthur’s grave site was moved from Grand Army Cemetery to San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio in San Francisco, California.  If anyone is able to find Arthur Family relatives, please send me an e-mail with the information that you have to: kfelton97@yahoo.com .  Thank you for your help.


In Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty,




Kenneth G. Felton, Graves Registration Officer
Department of California & Pacific
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War


P.S.  There were very few Lancer Cavalry units during the U.S. Civil War.  Jose Ramon Pico was a Captain in the First Battalion of California Native Cavalry (a Lancer unit).  I understand that the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was also a Lancer Civil War Cavalry unit.  There were very few Lancer Cavalry units in the Civil War.

Here are some photos of some members of Company B of the  8th California Volunteer Infantry on Memorial Day.  We were on hand today for Memorial Day services at the Sylvan Cemetery at 7401 Auburn Blvd, Citrus Heights, CA 95610.  The Master of Ceremony was Jim Monteton, a member of Camp 22 and Comp. B member.  The ceremony started with a march through the cemetery which featured members of the local Police Department, Sons of the American  Revolution, Camp 22 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Armed Forces Veterans and the local Boy Scout troop. The procession made several stops throughout the cemetery to honor the fallen from the major conflicts.  After speeches from the Chief of Police and other dignitaries, Company B fired a rifle volley salute.

Here’s an announcement from Past Camp Commander Monteton:

On Tuesday February 26, the American Legion Post 637 will have a Fund Raiser at the Applebee’s in Citrus Heights.  If you stop by any time from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm on that day and have a meal, you will be helping Veterans in our city.  Please print this flyer and present it to your server when you order your food.  Thank you in advance for your assistance.    

The family of Charles Christian have announced his passing on January 24, 2019.

Dear Friends and Colleagues of our father,

As some of you may have learned, Charles L. Christian passed away on January 24th, 2019.  His passing was pretty quick (which is what he had hoped for) and he was supported by his family and wonderful hospice team into his last days.

We are attaching his obituary and invitation to his Memorial Service which will be held on February 16th at 11:00 in the Chapel at the Santa Rosa Memorial Park, 1900 Franklin Avenue.
(The Press Democrat will publish his tribute (hard copy and online) on Feb 2nd if you would like to view it there.)

Please be so kind as to share this information with those who knew him as we fear we may not have addresses for all in his circle.  Please also accept our apologies in advance if you have received this message more than once. We tried to thin the duplicates but may have missed some.
Many thanks for your assistance with this notice.
Sincerely,

Elaine Christian

The annual encampment of the Department of California and the Pacific is scheduled for 22-23 March, 2019, in Bakersfield. See below for details from Department SVC Velasco:

Hello Friends, Brothers & Sisters,

Please see the attached letter announcing the 2019 SUVCW and ASUVCW Department of California and Pacific Encampment to be held March 22 – 23 in Bakersfield.

All forms can be found on the SUVCW  Department website under the “Encampment” heading or by following the indicated address in the attached letter.

Please distribute this information to your Camps, Auxiliaries or Tents.

We will be putting together an Encampment information program soon so please update your Camp and Auxiliary web sites with a currant officer list and  information so we can easily take the information for the program.

Let me know if you have any questions and we hope to see you in Bakersfield.

In Fraternity, Charity & Loyalty,

Rudy Velasco
DSVC

It’s time once again!. The ever=popular Living History event at Ft. Point event will be held on January 26. If you are able to attend, please contact Camp Commander Salyer, and let him know if you need any space for a display.

Here’s more info from the event coordinator:

Dear Fort Point volunteers,

Please pass this to your Union and Civilian units!  The next Fort Point event is scheduled for Jan 26th 2019.  We are planning on having an overnighter that Saturday night. 

If you have a demo or table display, please let me know so I can reserve a spot for you. 

Regarding the overnighter, I will send a separate email to collect RSVPs…so please keep on the lookout for that.  Please have your unit members start discussing who will be staying the night (and working out appropriate guardian relationships) as this will make the RSVP process more efficient. 

I also suggest you consider carpooling, as parking will be difficult (as always). 

One more important note…there is a possibility that the event may be delayed or modified because of the government shutdown.  I will be in touch with the rangers and will keep you updated.  For now, keep planning on having the event on Jan 26th. 
Apologies for the delay in sending this out! 

Happy New Year!

regards,

Mike Musante

Greetings from Camp 22. Please note the below information regarding the upcoming Alcatraz Living History Day on August 18, 2018. Thanks to Company B Commander David Salyer for providing the update.

Please see the note from Mike Musante below and let me or Mike know if you will need any space for a table.  Also let me know if you are planning on attending.

Thanks!

David Salyer

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Dear Fort Point Volunteers,

This is a reminder that our next Fort Point event is scheduled for Saturday August 18th!  I will send more info in the near future.  But for now…please help me with the following:

1) please pass this email to your Union and Civilian units so they can mark their calendars.

2) If you have a display or demo you want to set up, please let me know by August 3rd so I can reserve space in the layout for the courtyard or set aside time in the schedule

3) we will be having an overnighter on August 18th.  Please look for an additional email from me with more information soon.   If anyone is under 18, they will need to have their parents assign a temporary guardian.

4) it is also a good idea to start thinking ahead about carpooling (if possible), as the parking at the fort is always difficult!

regards,

Mike Musante

510-551-5128