The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-03
ALONG THE LEGION LINE.
Loyal Advocates of Hooper
and Warfield jealousy
at Work.
ARMY RECORDS REVIEWED.
WarfIeld Served With the Engineers
and Hooper In the Commits
sary Tent.

Sary Tent.
In patriotic circles of San Francisco the
keenest attention is paid to the contest
between Major Hooper of the Occidental
and Colonel Warfield of the California
Hotel for the honor of commanding the
Loyal Legion for the next year. Interest
| in the contest is extending to the National
Guard, as Major Hooper is on General
Dimond's staff and Colonel Warfield has
also rendered service to the guard on the
division staff. It is well known that the
latter has been promoted from lieutenant
to colonel since the war, hence inquiry has
been made as to the manner OF promotion.
In Kentucky man may marry the widow
of a colonel and thus acquire the military
rank held by his predecessor in matrl-
mony, but in California it is different. A
| man must at least have some kind OF an
appointment-mustb be proprietor OF mine
or manager of hotel.
| Colonel Warfeld's title is perfectly clear.
| He was first lieutenant of New York Volun-
teers and lieutenant-colonel N. &C. Major
| Hooper's title is unclouded. He was cap
| teers and is lieutenant-colonel n. G.. @.
| There is so much interest in the forth
| coming election that the war record of
each candidate must be published. Major
| Hooper made his sacrifices for the cause OF
| FIRE edom in the commissary department,
and Colonel Warheld's devotion to liberty
was attested in the engineer corps. Colonel
Warfield belonged to the Flft1eth New
York Regiment of Engineers and Major
Hooper to the California Regiment of
Volunteers The New York official records
contain this paragraph relating to the
! Fiftieth Engineers: ''The official list of
battles in which this regiment bore an
honorable part is not yet published In
| orders"
The Fiftieth did something more than
bodybuilding, for "Fox's Regimental
Losses" a book accepted as authority,
shows that it lost twenty men in action
| during the war. 1t may not have par
ticipated in battle, but it was certainly
under fire, as the loss of one of its officers
and nineteen enlisted men proves.
The Second California Cavalry, in which
Major Hooper trained, served on the from
tier and gained renown in Utah under
General Connor. The California records are
| incomplete concerning the losses of State
troops in battle, but certainly the casual
ties in action do not vary much from those
of the Fiftieth New York, perhaps twenty
less. The California troops put down the
rebellion in Utah, and Major Hooper s
friends insist that good soldiers must not
be slurred because they were not ordered
to the Potomac or Mississippi to crush a
rebellion there.
In point of military records it can be
contended that Colonel Warteld and
Major Hooper are about equally matched.
In society each adorns high circle, and
as tavern-keepers both are illustrious. In the
Loyal Legion Major Hooper of the Occiden-
tai is the senior, having joined in 1879,
while Colonel Wartield of the California
joined in 1881.
Complying with the Calls request, Re-
corder Smedberg, in accordance with his
custom in such cases, permitted copy tC
be made from the legion's archives of the
record of each candidate. Colonel War
fields record as given by himself thus
reads:
January 5, 1864, enlisted as private in Com.
pany L, Fiftieth New York Volunteer Engi
neers; March II, 1864, commissioned and mus
date from March 5, 1864; December z, 1864,
commissioned and mustered as first heuten-
ant of Company l.; January IL, 1865, detailed
by order of Colonel Duane to take charge OF
and keep in proper order all of the army roads
leading from Hancock to City Point, in front
of Petersburg, nineteen in all, and mostly
Blackwater, from Norfolk Railroad to near
Ninth Corps headquarters, some 300 feet long
February l, ordered to take the adjutants POI
tered o au june is 1855 at Fort Berry, Va
History of Service. Was never away from the
regiment except for ten days leave OF absence,
from the time enlisted until the end OF the t.e
the battles and labors of the Wilderness, Spott-
sylvania, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Peters
burg, etc, down to the surrender OF Lee.
toon bridge across the Chickahominy, at Coles
Ferry, 1900 feet long, and also June 10, 1864,
in building the one over the James, the long
| est pontoon bridge ever laid-2O6O feet long.
| Elected in Loyal Legion, May %, 1881, No.
10 aaG; c0mmands'y OF California insignia No.
Following is the record of Major Hooper
as filed with the Recorder:
William B. Hooper-Second lieutenant Com
pany F, Second California Volunteer Cavalry,
July %, 1862; first lieutenant January II,
1868; captain and commissary of subsis tence
March ID, 1868; brevet major March -,
1865; henorably mustered out July ID, 1866.
Served during the war in California,
Arizona and Nevada as company and staff Off
Ger with General P. E. Connors column from
California to Salt Lake City, and post quarter
| master at Fort Douglass, Utah.
Elected in Loyal Legion November z, 1879,
2o3o.
Colonel Smedberg's opposition candi-
date for recorder has not yet entered the
field, but the assertion is made In the War
field camp that one will be announced in
due time. Colonel Warfeld's friends
blame Smedberg for developing the oppo-
sition to their leader and persuading
| Hooper to become a candidate, but in
quiry discloses the fact that a very large
number of companions were dissatisfied
| with the regular nomination. Some aver
that Warfield's nomination was forced or
rather pressed against the real sentiment
of the commandery.
1t is known that General Dimond and
| General Backus were strong supporters OF
Warfeld's nomination. Some of Hooper s
supporters hint that General Backus
! wanted influence with the Governor when
the fight for Prison Warden was on.
Major Hooper is gaining accession to
his strength in army and navy circles, and
is surely the choice of many of the Cali
| fornia Y olnnteers belonging.to the legion