Department of Oregon
Encyclopedia
Department of the Pacific
The Department of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:The Department of the Pacific was first organized on October 31, 1853, at San Francisco, California, taking over from the previous Pacific Division. The department reported directly to...
and was composed of the Territories of Washington
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
and Oregon
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
, except the Rogue River and Umpqua Districts, which were assigned to the Department of California
Department of California
The Department of California was one of two Army Departments created September 13, 1858, replacing the original Department of the Pacific and was composed of the territory of the United States lying west of the Rocky Mountains and south of Oregon and Washington territories, except the Rogue River...
. Its creation was authorized by General Orders, No. 10, of the United States Department of War
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
, Adjutant-General's Office, September 13, 1858. Its Headquarters was at Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
, in the Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
.
Commanders
Its first commander was BrevetBrevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
William S. Harney
William S. Harney
William Selby Harney was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He was born in what is today part of Nashville, Tennessee but at the time was known as Haysborough....
, U.S. Army, from 1858 to June 1860. Shortly after he took command he sent troops under Captain George E. Pickett to San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
precipitating the Pig War
Pig War
The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the British Empire over the boundary between the US and British North America. The territory in dispute was the San Juan Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland...
with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Due to these altercations with the British he was recalled in June 1860 by the United States Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
who reassigned Harney to the Department of the West
Department of the West
The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century. It oversaw the military affairs in the country west of the Mississippi River to the borders of California and Oregon.-Organization:The Department was first...
, replacing him with the victor of the Oregon Indian Wars, Colonel George Wright
George Wright (general)
George Wright was an American soldier who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, of the U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment
U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment
The 9th Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest and most decorated active duty infantry units in the United States Army.- Early organizations :...
, from June 8, 1860.
The Department of Oregon was merged into the restored Department of the Pacific
Department of the Pacific
The Department of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:The Department of the Pacific was first organized on October 31, 1853, at San Francisco, California, taking over from the previous Pacific Division. The department reported directly to...
on January 15, 1861, as the District of Oregon
District of Oregon (military)
The District of Oregon was a Union Army command department formed during the American Civil War. The district was part of the independent Department of the Pacific reconstituted by consolidating the Departments of California and Oregon, which was created on January 15, 1861 when the Army was...
administering the same territories, under Col. Wright.
Washington
- Fort ColvilleFort ColvilleThe trade center Fort Colville was built by the Hudson's Bay Company at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, a few miles west of the present site of Colville, Washington in 1825, to replace Spokane House as a regional trading center, as the latter was deemed to be too far from the Columbia River...
, Washington Territory 1825 - 1870 - Fort SteilacoomFort SteilacoomFor the adjacent park, see Fort Steilacoom ParkFort Steilacoom was founded by the U.S. Army in 1849 near Lake Steilacoom. It was among the first military fortifications built by the U.S. north of the Columbia River in what was to become Washington...
, Washington Territory 1849 - 1868 - Vancouver BarracksFort VancouverFort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
, Washington Territory 1849-1879 - Fort BellinghamFort BellinghamFort Bellingham was a U.S. Army fort built to prevent attacks by Indians from Canada and from Russian territory, on the bayside villages of Fairhaven, Sehome and Whatcom....
, Washington Territory 1855 - 1860 - Fort CascadesFort CascadesFort Cascades was a United States Army fort constructed in 1855 to protect the portage road around the final section of the Cascades Rapids, known as the "lower cascades." It was built on the Washington side of the Columbia River, between the present site of North Bonneville and the Bonneville...
, Washington Territory 1855 - 1861 - Fort TownsendFort Townsend State ParkFort Townsend State Park, formerly Old Fort Townsend State Park, in Jefferson County, Washington is a marine camping park in the Washington State Parks. It consists of of wooded land with of saltwater shoreline on Port Townsend Bay. Available activities include hiking, boating, fishing,...
, Washington Territory 1856 - 1861 - Fort Walla WallaFort Walla WallaFort Walla Walla is a fort located in Walla Walla, Washington. It was established in 1858. Today, the complex contains a park, a museum, and a hospital.Fort Walla Walla should be distinguished from Fort Nez Percés or Old Fort Walla Walla ....
, Washington Territory 1856 - 1911 - Camp ChehalisCamp ChehalisCamp Chehalis 1860 - 1861, sometimes referred to as Fort Chehalis, was located at the mouth of the Chehalis River near Hoquiam and Grays Harbor, Washington Territory. It was established in 1860 by Captain Maurice Maloney and a garrison of three other officers and 52 enlisted men. Abandoned by the...
, Washington Territory 1860 - 1861 - Camp PickettSan Juan Island National Historical ParkSan Juan Island National Historical Park, also known as American and English Camps, San Juan Island, is a U.S. National Historical Park owned and operated by the National Park Service on San Juan Island in the state of Washington. The park is made up of the sites of the British and U.S. Armies'...
, Washington Territory 1859-1863
Idaho
- Major Howe's Camp, Washington Territory (Idaho) 1860
- Fort HallFort HallFort Hall, sitting athwart the end of the common stretch shared by the three far west emigrant trails was a 19th century outpost in the eastern Oregon Country, which eventually became part of the present-day United States, and is located in southeastern Idaho near Fort Hall, Idaho...
, Washington Territory (Idaho) 1859 - 1860
Oregon
- Fort DallesFort DallesFort Dalles was a United States Army outpost located on the Columbia River at the present site of The Dalles, Oregon, in the United States. Built when Oregon was a territory, the post was used mainly for dealing with wars with Native Americans...
, Oregon 1850-1867 - Fort YamhillFort YamhillFort Yamhill was an American military fortification in what became the state of Oregon. Built in 1856 in the Oregon Territory, it remained an active post until 1866. The Army outpost was used to provide a presence next to the Grand Ronde Agency Coastal Reservation...
, Oregon 1856 - 1866 - Fort HoskinsFort HoskinsFort Hoskins was one of three "forts" built by the U.S. Army to monitor the Coastal Indian Reservation in Oregon in the mid- 19th century. The Fort Hoskins Site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.- History :The post was begun in 1856 on the Luckiamute River under the...
, Oregon 1857 - 1865 - Siletz Blockhouse, Oregon 1858 - 1866
- Camp Randolph 1859
- Camp Owyhee, Oregon 1860
- Camp Union, Oregon 1860
- Camp Day, Oregon 1860