Forst Rosecrans, California

Fort Rosecrans, California

Headquarters of the Coast Defenses of San Diego, California


Fort Rosecrans was a Coast Artillery fortification located about 6-miles from San Diego on the Point Loma peninsula. It was named in honor of Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans, USA (Major General USV), who received the thanks of Congress for services at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1862 during the Civil War. The first plotting of the location for Fort Rosecrans was laid out in 1852 with a land area of about 1,033-acres. Fort Rosecrans was the Headquarters station of the Coast Defenses of San Diego.

In February 1898, Captain Charles Humphreys, who was the Commanding Officer of San Diego Barracks, dispatched Lieutenant George T. Patterson and twenty-two enlisted men of Company D, 3rd Artillery Regiment to Ballast Point to camp. The military reservation at Point Loma was finally occupied by artillerymen. The following month Captain Humphreys led the remainder of the company to the new camp. While Humphreys soon returned to his headquarters office, the company remained at Ballast Point throughout the summer, returning to the Barracks in August. A detachment remained at Ballast Point during the following months to occupy and guard the new 10-inch battery.

It was appropriate that Battery D, 3rd Artillery, was the first to occupy the new Fort, for Battery D had been the last unit to occupy the San Diego Mission, then a military post. That was back in 1858, when the battery was ordered into Washington Territory to fight Indians. Now, forty years later, a detachment of twenty soldiers from the same old battery arrived from San Diego Barracks, under 2nd Lieutenant George T. Patterson on February 2, 1898.

In July 1900, the battery was ordered to China and saw action in the Boxer Uprising. Duty in the Philippines and in France during World War I intervened before the battery returned to Fort Rosecrans on July 1, 1924.

The War Department named the reservation Fort Rosecrans in General Orders 134, July 22, 1899, in honor of Major General William Starke Rosecrans who had died in 1898. Rosecrans graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1842 and accepted an appointment as Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He resigned from the Army in 1854 to enter the oil industry in Pennsylvania. He returned to active duty upon the outbreak of the Civil War. Rosecrans rose rapidly in rank, becoming a Major General of volunteers in 1862. At first successful against Confederate forces, he was defeated by General Braxton Bragg at Chickamauga in 1863. Following the war, he resigned again to serve as U.S. Minister to Mexico. Later he engaged in mining and railroad operations in Mexico and California and was well known in San Diego. He visited San Diego in 1871 in the interests of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. At that time, he is said to have offered Alonzo Horton $250,000 for New San Diego.

From 1881 to 1885, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California. In 1889, he returned to active duty for a few days with the rank of Brigadier General in the Regular Army.

When the 28th Company, Coast Artillery arrived from duty in the Philippines in 1901, it occupied both the San Diego Barracks and Fort Rosecrans. Major Anthony W. Vodges, Coast Artillery Corps, commanded both posts. On August 20, 1901, the 115th Company, Coast Artillery was formed at the San Diego Barracks and then transferred to Fort Rosecrans where it remained until July 1, 1924 when it was sent to Puget Sound. At that time the 28th Company was also transferred to the Columbia River. For the next two years, one company was stationed at Fort Rosecrans and one at the Barracks. They rotated monthly so that both companies could engage in target practice at the batteries. Troop transfers were usually made by water by means of the steam-propeller launch General DeRussy and the motor launch Lieutenant George M. Harris. On occasion, the companies marched overland the 8.7 miles.

On August 6, 1903, Fort Rosecrans was organized as a separate post and both companies were permanently stationed there. Captain Adrian S. Fleming, Coast Artillery Corps, became the Commanding Officer for both Fort Rosecrans and the Artillery District of San Diego. The garrison consisted of five officers and 192 enlisted men. To celebrate their new arrangements, the troops held a field day on August 22. The post returns show that the companies were becoming proficient at Batteries Wilkeson, McGrath, Fetterman, and James Meed. The 30th Company had eight 1st Class and sixteen 2nd Class gunners, while the 115th Company had fourteen and eleven respectively.

The post barracks and operations buildings were constructed from 1901 to 1904. All were of frame construction except the Post Exchange, which later became the post headquarters and this was built of brick.

In September 1903, General Arthur MacArthur, Commanding the Department of California, made a two-day inspection of the post.

Service at Fort Rosecrans was considered highly desirable and applications for transfer or re-enlistment of discharged soldiers into its companies were being received constantly. As a result, the garrison was maintained at full strength with capable and experienced soldiers. It was jokingly called an “old soldiers’ home” and many of those who served there when discharged or retired from the service, became substantial citizens of San Diego and the surrounding community.

From 1911 to the outbreak of World War I the garrison was active in patrolling the Mexican border, housing and guarding interned military prisoners captured at the border while fleeing from Mexico, and assisting in the training of the California National Guard.

The border troubles with Mexico climaxed in 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson ordered Major General John J. Pershing to head a punitive expedition of 15,000 men to pursue the rebel Poncho Villa into Mexico and called out 150,000 National Guards to secure the border. Between this activity and World War I raging in Europe, Fort Rosecrans tightened security. Vessels entering the harbor were required to identify themselves and the coastal defenses were strengthened.

The garrison was always a part of the civic activities of San Diego both for visiting dignitaries of the City and for dress parades in many celebrations. The four 10-inch guns were often fired for visiting dignitaries. The Fort Rosecrans companies took an active part in the Panama-California International Exposition in 1915.

During World War I, in addition to its own complete garrison, the 4th, 15th and 18th coast artillery companies assisted them. The 1st Battalion of the 65th Coast Artillery, the 54th Ammunition Train and the 1st and 2nd Antiaircraft Batteries were organized and trained at Fort Rosecrans and then sent to Europe. Elsewhere in the San Diego area were the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 14th Aero Squadron in training, the latter at Rockwell Field.

In 1922 the Coast Artillery did not have enough men to fully garrison all of its stations in the United States and also maintain the overseas garrisons at sufficient strength. Consequently, some of the forts went on caretaker status and Fort Rosecrans was one of them. In 1925 the Coast Defenses of San Diego were renamed the Harbor Defenses of San Diego.

While it was in caretaker status, Fort Rosecrans on two occasions provided quarters for troops other than artillery. In 1930, it became headquarters for the Sixth Infantry Brigade, Commanded by Brigadier General Ralph H. VanDeman, who moved his headquarters here from the interior. A troop of the 11th Cavalry was stationed at Fort Rosecrans from October 1931, following the abandonment of Camp Hearn at Imperial Beach. In August 1932 they moved on to Monterey. In July 1935, there were 48 officers and men at Fort Rosecrans.

The threat of war in 1939 caused the modernization of the defenses of San Diego. Colonel P. H. Ottosen reported in September 1940 that units of the 19th Coast Artillery Regiment were being activated at Fort Rosecrans and others would be formed in the near future. In October 1940, the construction quartermaster received orders to erect temporary buildings for an increase in enlisted strength of 2,022 men. The 1917 cantonment buildings were razed and replaced with modern versions. Some were close to the post and others were on the upper part of the reservation. The later ones were turned over to the Navy after World War II and became part of the Naval Electronics Laboratory.

In 1942, the 262nd and in 1943, the 281st Coast Artillery Battalions were organized and trained at the post and sent overseas while other units used the Fort for special training.

After World War II Fort Rosecrans was again placed on caretaker status and its armament removed. On July 1, 1959, the reservation was transferred to the Navy Department. However, the headquarters for Army Reserve components in the San Diego area remain there in 1959.

National Cemetery

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, on the crest of the point, first was used as a burial ground for San Diego Barracks and was known as "Post Cemetery, San Diego Barracks." The first burial there was that of Private John T. Welch of Company I, 8th Infantry, on October 5, 1879. When the Fort was established it became Fort Rosecrans Post Cemetery and was so designated until 1935 when it became Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Originally about on acre, it now is many times that size. Inside the stonewall of the original area lie the remains of the soldiers of the First Dragoons who were killed at the Battle of San Pasqual, December 6, 1846. A granite boulder from the battlefield bears a bronze plaque with the names of the soldiers, while nearby are the graves of the two company commanders, Captain Benjamin D. Moore and his brother-in-law, 2nd Lieutenant Thomas C. Hammond, killed while leading the attack. The grave of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Louis S. Craig, 3rd Infantry, murdered on the Colorado desert by two Army deserters whom he was trying to persuade to return to their station at Fort Craig, New Mexico. Buried there also are the remains of Albert B. Smith, who spiked the Mexican guns at the Old Town Presidio and nailed the American flag to the flagpole in the Plaza, while under fire by Mexican snipers. A tall granite obelisk marks the last resting place of the many American sailors who died in the boiler explosion aboard the U.S.S. Bennington in San Diego Harbor July 21, 1905.

Troops Stationed at Fort Rosecrans During WWI

Coast Artillery:
54th Ammunition Train, CAC
25th Artillery Regiment, CAC
First Company, Coast Defenses, Fort Rosecrans
Second Company, Coast Defenses, Fort Rosecrans
Third Company, Coast Defenses, Fort Rosecrans
Fourth Company, Coast Defenses, Fort Rosecrans
Headquarters Company, Coast Defenses, Fort Rosecrans
First Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Second (I) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Second (II) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Third Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Fourth (I) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Fourth (II) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Fifth (I) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Fifth (II) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Sixth (I) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Sixth (II) Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Seventh Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Eighth Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Ninth Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Eleventh Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Twelfth Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego
Thirteenth Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego

The Muster of Fort Rosecrans

As I find information on men who served at Fort Rosecrans I will list them here in this section. If you have a family member who served on this ship please contact me and I will add it to this list.


Pvt. Robert Walton Cheetham, Service No. 3425642, 3rd Company Coast Defenses of San Diego

On August 16, 2012 Chiquita Kirkpatrick, who is the daughter of Pvt. Robert Walton Cheetham, had sent me an email asking about her father. In the email she stated;

My name is Chiquita Kirkpatrick. Last weekend I went to my grandfather's grave at the Presidio of San Francisco, saw the marker for the first time, and discovered that he was in the Coast Artillery Corps. His name was Robert Walton Cheetham. He was born in San Francisco in 1895 and was there during the big quake (1906). He never discussed his experiences during the War, except an incident during the flu epidemic. When he was in the hospital, the man next to the window died. My grandfather wanted that space, so pushed his bed to the window and the dead man's bed to the space where he had been. Consequently, his parents were notified that he was dead, and were quite surprised when he contacted them later.

When he died, I requested that he be buried at the Presidio. The manager at the cemetery said there were no spaces left, but when I told him that my grandfather was born in S.F., he said that he would find a space for him. Daddy Bob… our name for him… died in 1959. He was much loved by his daughter, Dulce Bartlett and his four granddaughters.

If you have a source to obtain any information about his job in the CAC, I would very much appreciate it if you let me know where to find it.

Thank you, Chiquita Kirkpatrick

That email at the time back in 2012, I filed away and it was forgotten. Fast forward to the last week of 2018, and I had rediscovered the email. I began to look into the story of Pvt. Robert Walton Cheetham, CAC and when I saw the photograph of his white marble military gravestone place on a rolling hill in the San Francisco National Cemetery, I began to wonder who was this man that was buried under this stone on the rolling hillside. He had passed away in the same year that I was born and I felt a connection to his story. This soldier wore a uniform, ready to defend our Country and give his life if required to do so simply by putting on that uniform. His story should be remembered so that we will know who has paid for our Freedom we use now today. This is who the man was who lays resting under this stone.


Robert W. Cheetham
California
Pvt. CAC
World War I
January 5, 1895
June 22, 1959

Robert Walton Cheetham was born on January 5, 1895 in San Francisco, California. His parents were Sara Elizabeth Genders (1868-1952) and James Cheetham (1868-1915). Both Sara and James were born in England, James being born in Manchester. Sara and James both had come to America, James in 1889 and Sara in 1892, and seem to be married in 1893. They were living in San Francisco at the time of the birth of their first child, a son named Robert Walton Cheetham. According to the 1900 Federal Census the James Cheetham family was living at 4105-21st Street in San Francisco. The home was located 3 doors down from the corner of Diamond Street and 21st Street. There in the home with Sara and James was Robert Walton who was then 5-years old, and James’ 33-year old single cousin who was named Robert S. Cheetham, who had been born in England. Additionally, in the home was a 30-year old single roomer named John Henderson. James worked for a furniture maker applying finishes to the furniture. James’ cousin Robert S. was working as a book keeper.

James and Sara had a daughter named Rosamond Edith who was born on December 9, 1901. And by the spring of 1910 the James Cheetham family had moved from the home on 21st Street to another home on 20th Street. This may have been due to the great earthquake of 1906. By then the family consisted of James, Sara, Robert Walton, Rosamond Edith, and Robert S. James’ cousin. Rosamond went by her middle name of Edith. Both James and his cousin Robert were working for a furniture maker.

In the spring of 1917 America had gone to war. Men were needed to fill the ranks of the army and navy, and Robert Walton Cheetham who was then 22-years old felt he should defend his country. Robert had been living at 2202 Seventeenth Ave. in San Francisco, and was at the time working for H. G. Learned who was a farmer in Stockton, California. The home on 17th Street was the home of his parents and was the second home back from the corner of 17th Ave. and Rivera Street.


Cheetham home at 2202 Seventeenth Street, San Francisco as it appears today.

During the first call up for the Draft during WWI, Robert left his home and walked down the 16-steps of the stairs to the street and on June 5, 1917 registered for the draft. Robert was a tall slender man with light blue eyes and blonde hair. He stated on the Draft form that he had not served before in the military and that he had “no grounds” for claiming exemption from the Draft.

On June 29, 1918 Robert had enlisted into the Coast Artillery Corps of the Army. He served with the 3rd Company, Coast Defenses of San Diego, and they were assigned to duty at Fort Rosecrans located out on Point Loma about six-miles from San Diego. From August of 1917 throughout 1919 the 3rd Company was on Active Duty as part of the forts garrison of men manning the batteries of 12-inch mortars, 3-inch and 5-inch guns and the 10-inch disappearing guns that protected San Diego from an attack by the sea. Throughout the time he was on Active Duty he served as a Private.

During the war the 1st Battalion of the 65th Artillery, CAC, the 54th Ammunition Train, CAC and the 1st and 2nd Antiaircraft Batteries, CAC were formed from the men of Fort Rosecrans and sent to France. But Private Cheetham remained on duty at Fort Rosecrans as part of the forts garrison throughout the war.

After his Honorable Discharge from the Army in December of 1918 he went back to his parent’s home at 2202 Seventeenth Ave. His father who was then 52-years old still had his same job at the furniture company. Robert had taken a job as a postal clerk for the United States Post Office. And Edith who was then 19-years old was working as a book keeper.

Robert had met and fell in love with Helen Josephine Walsh of San Francisco and on August 31, 1921 Robert and Helen signed for a marriage license. Robert was then 26-years old and Helen was 18-years old having been born on October 10, 1902. The couple were married shortly thereafter. Robert and Helen went to live in the home on 17th Ave. with Robert’s parents. By December 22, 1922 Helen was giving birth to their first child a daughter they named Dulce Marie. According to the 1930 Federal Census Robert, Helen and Dulce were the only ones living at the home at 2202 Seventeenth Ave., as Roberts parents had moved away and Robert and Helen now owned this home. Robert was still with the Post Office, a job he would have for the rest of his working days, and Helen was a clerk for City Hall.

Sometime between 1930 and 1935 possibly due to the depression Robert Helen and Dulce had moved out of the home they owned on 17th Ave. and were living in an apartment building with at least 7 other families. About the middle of 1939 Dulce who was 19-years old was married to Charles Orvis Bartlett a 26-year old man from Wyoming. Bartlett was then a Corporal serving in the Army. About November 1939 Dulce gave birth to a girl named Chiquita. Robert, Helen, Charles, Dulce and Chiquita lived in the apartment building together until sometime about 1941 -1942. Then Robert and Helen were living at 122 Buchanan Street in San Francisco.

Now that America was in a second war Robert had to register for the draft. He did so on April 26, 1942 at the No. 96 Draft Board at 1850 Fillmore Street in San Francisco. By then his blonde hair had turned to gray and he was balding and he had a small scar on his right wrist. He still was working for the Post Office at Beale and Mission Street in San Francisco. Robert was then 47-years old and his job at the post office likely kept him from serving during WWII.

Robert and Helen had become separated and finally divorced possibly during the Second World War years. By 1959 Robert, living alone at 306 Fourth Street, which was only about 5-6 block away from the Post Office on Beale and Mission Streets, was suffering from an ulcer. At 11:40 in the morning on June 22, 1959 Robert Walton Cheetham passed away from the effects of the ulcer. He was survived by his sister Edith Wade who lived in Los Angles and five grandchildren.

Robert Cheetham’s eldest granddaughter Chiquita Kirkpatrick then asked Thomas M. Coffin who was the Asst. Superintendent of the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio if he could be buried there. Permission was given and on June 29, 1959 in Section E-West Grave No. 492 Pvt. Robert Walton Cheetham was buried. Rev. Harold Paulus was the officiating chaplain at the grave site service. His white marble stone arrived from the Green Mountain Marble Company in West Rutland, Vermont on July 24, 1959 and was placed upon his grave on the rolling hill.


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