It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, attached to the Department of the Pacific.

Col. R. C. Drum, Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of the Pacific on October 13, 1862, following the escape of Lassic and several hundred other warriors from the Smith River Reservation, Col. Francis J. Lippitt, Commander of the Humboldt Military District: In short, the state of things is far worse than when we arrived.

The truth is, two companies of State volunteers could be raised here, consisting of old hunters and mountaineers familiar with the habits of the Indians and accustomed to hunt them, that would be of far more service than a whole regiment of the finest troops in the world, no matter how active and zealous they might be.

[2]Governor Stanford called for the organization of the Mountaineer Battalion on the recommendation General Wright on February 7, 1863, in the following proclamation:

Two horses, two inules, four guns, several saddles, and some other articles of property were recovered, and the houses destroyed, together with a large quantity of Indian provisions.