Aroused by the moral importance of its position, the state legislature, early in the winter of 1860-1861, had passed a resolution of fidelity to the Union, in which it declared “That California is ready to maintain the rights and honor of the National Government at home and abroad, and at all times to respond to any requisitions that may be made upon her to defend the Republic against foreign or domestic foes.”  Succeeding events proved the genuineness of this resolve.

In the early spring of 1861, the War Department sent General Edwin A. Sumner to take command of the Military Department of the Pacific with headquarters at San Francisco, supplanting General Albert Sidney Johnston who resigned to fight for the South.  This was a most fortunate appointment, as Sumner proved a resourceful and capable official, ideally suited to meet the crisis before him.  Nor does this reflect in any way upon the superb soldierly qualities of his predecessor.  Johnston was no doubt too manly an officer to take part in the romantic conspiracies about him.  He was every inch a brave soldier who did his fighting in the open.  Like Robert E. Lee, he joined the Confederacy in conscientious good faith, and he met death bravely at Shiloh in April, 1862.

Sumner was a man of action and he faced the situation squarely.  To him, California and the nation will always be indebted.  One of his first decisive acts was to check the secession movement in Southern California by placing a strong detachment of soldiers at Los Angeles.  This force proved enough to stop any incipient uprisings in that part of the state.  Some of the disturbing element in this district then moved over into Nevada where cooperation was made with the pro-Confederate men there.  The Nevada rebel faction had made considerable headway by assuring unsuspecting persons that it was acting on the authority of the Confederate Government.  On June 5, 1861, the rebel flag was unfurled at Virginia City.  Again Sumner acted.  He immediately sent a Federal force to garrison Fort Churchill, and a body of men under Major Blake and Captain Moore seized all arms found in the possession of suspected persons.  A rebel militia company with four hundred men enrolled and one hundred under arms was found and dispersed by the Federals.  This decisive action completely stopped any uprisings across the state line, uprisings which might easily have spread into California.

In the meantime, under General Sumner’s direction, soldiers had been enlisted and were being rapidly drilled for any emergency.  The War Department, on being advised of this available force, at once sent the following dispatch, which, with those that follow are typical of the correspondence which the Pony Express couriers were now rushing across the Continent toward and from Washington.

Telegraph and Pony Express. 
Adjutant-General’s Office.

Washington, July 24, 1861. 
Brigadier General Sumner,
Commanding Department of the Pacific.