Alonzo Ridley
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Ridley, 49er, Undersheriff of Los Angeles County, Confederate Army officer from California
, who led the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
on their epic march across the Southwestern deserts to Texas
in 1861.
for California from Boston
on the SS Pharsalia January 28, in 1849. Northern-born, he had arrived in California and became a trader among the Indians in the San Joaquin Valley
. In May, 1852, Alonzo Ridley and David McKenzie came into the region of Tejon Pass
for the purpose of trading with the Indians and took up permanent residence there. While living there Ridley sired a daughter, Guadalupe, with a native woman. He then became a sub-agent to the Tule River
bands of Indians. During the Tule River War of 1856 as an Indian sub-agent he was with a detachment of twelve soldiers from Fort Tejon
that participated with soldiers from Fort Miller, and the militia companies of Tulare County in the final battle with the Indians at their fortress on the north fork of the Tule River. As a resident in in Tejon, and familiar with the Indians of the area he was later named Undersheriff for the northern portion of Los Angeles County
.
was pro secessionist and was elected captain of the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
. From its inception, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was known to be pro-Southern and a worry to Union authorities. Its organizer, George Washington Gift
, and Captain Ridley both in later years acknowledged that the unit's purpose was to serve the Confederacy
.
After the news of the Battle of Fort Sumter
and the beginning of the war reached Los Angeles on April 24, Ridley believed that the unit should cross the deserts to Texas. In late May and early June, Federal troops drawn from Forts Mojave
and Tejon
and from San Francisco occupied posts in Los Angeles, San Bernardino
and San Pedro harbor
to prevent a secessionist rising. Ridley secretly arraigned for the departure of the Rifles despite these nervous and watchful Union authorities. However a more rushed departure was forced on him when Albert Sidney Johnston
and Lewis Addison Armistead
with his son joined the party, fearful of arrest by the authorities. Ridley had planned for the Rifles to leave for Texas on June 30, but now the departure was moved up to June 17, but to deceive the authorities word was circulated that it had been delayed to June 25.
Followng its epic journey across the deserts of Southern California and southern New Mexico Territory
to the Rio Grande
River the Rifles brought in a prisoner that had sneaked in to spy upon their camp. He turned out to be Enrique D'Hamel a Cuban member of Captain Bethel Coopwood
's Spy Company of Col. John Robert Baylor's command of Texans. Ridley knew Coopwood who had been Assistant District Attorney in San Bernardino County. He had left California earlier in 1861 and in early July enlisted the San Elizario Spy Company
(composed mostly of Californians) for Baylor.
Ridley sent D'Hamel to inform Coopwood that he and a party of Californians had arrived. Soon Coopwood arrived and the next day, they met Baylor's troops at Mesilla, New Mexico
, on July 28, 1861. On August 1, Baylor proclaimed the Confederate Territory of Arizona with himself as its Governor. After a delay of two weeks, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles were completely disbanded as a unit. Its members mostly joined Confederate Army units in Texas
, some the Confederate Navy.
, his unit capturing a large number of panicked Union troops along the river bank on the first day of the battle. Following Johnstons death he went to Texas
to fight there. He became a Major in the Texas Cavalry, 3rd Regiment, Arizona Brigade. He was present at the Second Battle of Galveston
. During the Bayou Teche Campaign in 1863 in the Bayou Teche
region in middle Louisiana
he was captured at the Second Battle of Donaldsonville
during the assault on Fort Butler. He remained in captivity until the wars end.
in 1866 as an agent to aid the scheme of Maximilian I of Mexico
to encourage the immigration of former Confederates to the colony of Carlotta near Cordova
. After some years he moved from Mexico to the Mesa
/Tempe
area of Arizona Territory
. Alonzo Ridley died on March 25, 1909 in Tempe, Arizona
and is buried in Double Buttes Cemetery there.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, who led the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
The Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was a company of the California State Militia formed in 1861. It was the only California state unit to serve the Confederacy.- Formation :...
on their epic march across the Southwestern deserts to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1861.
Early Life
Alonzo Ridley was born June 3, 1826. He sailed from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
for California from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on the SS Pharsalia January 28, in 1849. Northern-born, he had arrived in California and became a trader among the Indians in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
. In May, 1852, Alonzo Ridley and David McKenzie came into the region of Tejon Pass
Tejon Pass
The Tejon Pass is a mountain pass at the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains linking Southern to Central California.-Geography:The apex of the pass is near the northwesternmost corner of Los Angeles County, north of Gorman...
for the purpose of trading with the Indians and took up permanent residence there. While living there Ridley sired a daughter, Guadalupe, with a native woman. He then became a sub-agent to the Tule River
Tule River
The Tule River, also called Rio de San Pedro or Rio San Pedro, is a river in Tulare County in the U.S. state of California. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada east of Porterville and consists of three forks, North, Middle and South. The North Fork and Middle Fork meet above Springville. The...
bands of Indians. During the Tule River War of 1856 as an Indian sub-agent he was with a detachment of twelve soldiers from Fort Tejon
Fort Tejon
Fort Tejon in California is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854, until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon area of Tejon Pass along Interstate 5, the main route through the mountains separating the Central Valley from Los...
that participated with soldiers from Fort Miller, and the militia companies of Tulare County in the final battle with the Indians at their fortress on the north fork of the Tule River. As a resident in in Tejon, and familiar with the Indians of the area he was later named Undersheriff for the northern portion of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
.
Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
In 1861, althougth northern born, Undersheriff Ridley, like many in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
was pro secessionist and was elected captain of the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
Los Angeles Mounted Rifles
The Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was a company of the California State Militia formed in 1861. It was the only California state unit to serve the Confederacy.- Formation :...
. From its inception, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was known to be pro-Southern and a worry to Union authorities. Its organizer, George Washington Gift
George Washington Gift
George Washington Gift , U. S. Navy officer, writer, banker, civil engineer, politician, Confederate Navy officer, businessman, and newspaper editor.- Early life :...
, and Captain Ridley both in later years acknowledged that the unit's purpose was to serve the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
After the news of the Battle of Fort Sumter
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
and the beginning of the war reached Los Angeles on April 24, Ridley believed that the unit should cross the deserts to Texas. In late May and early June, Federal troops drawn from Forts Mojave
Fort Mojave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War...
and Tejon
Fort Tejon
Fort Tejon in California is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854, until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon area of Tejon Pass along Interstate 5, the main route through the mountains separating the Central Valley from Los...
and from San Francisco occupied posts in Los Angeles, San Bernardino
San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California is a large city in the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California.San Bernardino may also refer to:-Landforms:*San Bernardino , a torrent that flows through the Italian province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola...
and San Pedro harbor
San Pedro Bay (California)
San Pedro Bay is an inlet on the Pacific Ocean coast of southern California, United States. It is the site of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the fifth-busiest port facility in the world and easily the busiest in the Western Hemisphere...
to prevent a secessionist rising. Ridley secretly arraigned for the departure of the Rifles despite these nervous and watchful Union authorities. However a more rushed departure was forced on him when Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
and Lewis Addison Armistead
Lewis Addison Armistead
Lewis Addison Armistead was a Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War, who was wounded, captured, and died after Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life:...
with his son joined the party, fearful of arrest by the authorities. Ridley had planned for the Rifles to leave for Texas on June 30, but now the departure was moved up to June 17, but to deceive the authorities word was circulated that it had been delayed to June 25.
Followng its epic journey across the deserts of Southern California and southern New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
to the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
River the Rifles brought in a prisoner that had sneaked in to spy upon their camp. He turned out to be Enrique D'Hamel a Cuban member of Captain Bethel Coopwood
Bethel Coopwood
Bethel Coopwood was a soldier in the Mexican American and Civil Wars, lawyer, judge, and historian.-Early Life:Coopwood was born on May 1, 1827, in Lawrence County, Alabama. He moved to Texas in 1846 and fought in a cavalry regiment in the Mexican-American War. In 1854 he moved to California,...
's Spy Company of Col. John Robert Baylor's command of Texans. Ridley knew Coopwood who had been Assistant District Attorney in San Bernardino County. He had left California earlier in 1861 and in early July enlisted the San Elizario Spy Company
San Elizario Spy Company
The San Elizario Spy Company or Coopwood Spy Company was an Independent Volunteer Company of cavalry formed by Captain Bethel Coopwood and mustered into Confederate service on July 11, 1861 in El Paso, Texas. It had four officers, eight NCOs and 36 personnel, some from California but most from the...
(composed mostly of Californians) for Baylor.
Ridley sent D'Hamel to inform Coopwood that he and a party of Californians had arrived. Soon Coopwood arrived and the next day, they met Baylor's troops at Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
, on July 28, 1861. On August 1, Baylor proclaimed the Confederate Territory of Arizona with himself as its Governor. After a delay of two weeks, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles were completely disbanded as a unit. Its members mostly joined Confederate Army units in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, some the Confederate Navy.
Civil War service
Captain Alonzo Ridley remained with General Johnston. At Bowling Green he received a captain's commission, and was given authority to select from the soldiers a company to act as scouts. He was at the Battle of ShilohBattle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, his unit capturing a large number of panicked Union troops along the river bank on the first day of the battle. Following Johnstons death he went to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to fight there. He became a Major in the Texas Cavalry, 3rd Regiment, Arizona Brigade. He was present at the Second Battle of Galveston
Battle of Galveston
The Battle of Galveston or the Second Battle of Galveston was a naval and land battle that occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War when Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. John B...
. During the Bayou Teche Campaign in 1863 in the Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
region in middle Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
he was captured at the Second Battle of Donaldsonville
Second Battle of Donaldsonville
The Second Battle of Donaldsonville was an American Civil War battle took place on June 28, 1863 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.-Background:On June 28, 1863, Confederate Brig. Gen. Jean Alfred Mouton ordered Brig. Gen. Tom Green's and Col. James Patrick Major's brigades to take Donaldsonville,...
during the assault on Fort Butler. He remained in captivity until the wars end.
Later life
After the war Alonzo Ridley, went to MazatlánMazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
in 1866 as an agent to aid the scheme of Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
to encourage the immigration of former Confederates to the colony of Carlotta near Cordova
Córdoba, Veracruz
Córdoba, officially known as Heroica Córdoba, is a city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was founded in 1618....
. After some years he moved from Mexico to the Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
/Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
area of Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
. Alonzo Ridley died on March 25, 1909 in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
and is buried in Double Buttes Cemetery there.