Pacific Division (United States Army)

Pacific Division of the U. S. Army was one of its superior administrative organizations that existed during the early 19th century and for a short time in the early 20th century.

First Pacific Division 1848–1853

The first Pacific Division of the U.S. Army was created on October 10, 1848, as the Army reorganized its administration for the new territories acquired during the Mexican–American War. 10th Military Department (California) and 11th Military Department (Oregon Territory) were subordinated to the new Division that had its headquarters at Monterey. In June 1849 division headquarters moved to the California, for a month then moved to Benicia and the Benicia Arsenal in the upper San Francisco Bay in July 1849.

On May 17, 1851, the Army merged Military Departments 10 and 11 into the Pacific Division as the Army again reorganized its administration on the West Coast. Both of those military departments merged into the Pacific Division ceased to exist. Division headquarters directly administered affairs in California and Oregon Territory. On June 15, 1852, Pacific Division headquarters was moved from Benicia to the San Francisco.

On October 31, 1853, the Pacific Division was replaced by the Department of the Pacific, with headquarters at San Francisco. It was created when the Army abandoned the system of divisions and numbered departments, establishing departments having a descriptive name, and reporting directly to Army Headquarters.^[1]

Commander of the Pacific Division

• Major General Persifor Frazer Smith October 10, 1848–1849
• Brevet Major General Bennet Riley 1849–1851
• Brevet Brigadier General Ethan A. Hitchcock 1851–1853

Posts in Military Department 10

• Post at Monterey, Monterey, 1847–1852
  • Monterey Ordnance Depot 1852–1856^[2]
• Sonoma Barracks, Sonoma, 1847–1852.^[3]
• Camp Sonoma, near Sonoma, 1847–1851
  • Sonoma Post, near Sonoma, 1852–1858
• Camp San José, San Jose, 1848 ^[4]
• Camp Anderson, Sacramento, 1849 ^[5]
• Camp Stanislaus, Riverbank, California, 1849 ^[6]
• Camp Riley, near Otay, 1849 ^[7]
• Camp Salvation, Calexico, 1849^[8]
• Camp San Miguel, Mission San Miguel Arcángel, 1849–1851^[9]
• Benicia Barracks, Benicia, 1849–1898
• Fort Far West, near Marysville, 1849–1852.^[10]
• Angel Island Military Reservation, Angel Island 1850–1863^[11]
• Camp Rancho de Chino, Chino, 1850–1852^[12]
• Camp San Luis Rey, San Luis Rey, 1850–1852^[13]
• Camp Frederica, 7 miles from Durham's Ferry, near San Joaquin City, California, 1850^[14]
• Camp Vallecito, 1850, now Vallecito County Park ^[15]
  • Vallecito Depot, 1851–1853
• Fort Defiance, near Winterhaven, 1850 ^[16]
• Camp Santa Isabel, Santa Ysabel, 1851–1852 ^[17]
• Camp McClear, Fresno, 1851 ^[18]
• New San Diego Depot, 1851–1866^[19]
• Fort Miller, 1851–1858^[20]
• Fort Yuma, 1851–1883
• Benicia Arsenal, Benicia, 1852–1964
• Camp Crane, Bass Lake, 1852^[21]
• Camp Fitzgerald, near Winterhaven, California 1852^[22]
• Camp Rancho del Jurupa, Rubidoux, 1852–1854^[23]
• Fort Reading, Redding, 1852–1856^[24][25]
• Fort Jones, Fort Jones, California, 1852–1858^[26]
• Fort Humboldt, 1853–1867

Posts in Military Department 11

• Fort Colville, Washington Territory, 1859–1882
• Fort Steilacoom, Washington Territory, (1849–1868)
• Fort Dalles, Oregon, 1850–1867
• Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory 1853–1879

Second Pacific Division, 1904–07

The Departments where again organized under new Divisions in 1904, with the Pacific Division having subordiate to it the Department of California and its subordinate District of Hawaii and the Department of the Columbia. The Division echelon was eliminated in 1907, as was the Pacific Division.

References