This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, known in the North as “The War of the Rebellion,” and in the South as “The War of Northern Aggression.” Although the closest actual battle was fought in New Mexico, the local area has history related to the Civil War.
In 1861, Los Angeles was still an agricultural region, with a population of only 4,000. The citizens were considered to be sympathetic to the Southern cause and the Union was afraid that the Confederates might find a way to intercept the gold being sent from California to Washington, D.C. So, a Union Army camp was established in 1861, known as Camp Latham. It was named after a former governor of California and located near what is now the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Overland Avenue in Culver City. It housed 2,000 Union soldiers, all in tents, so the exact location is unknown. However, from letters the soldiers wrote home, we know that it was near Ballona Creek and infested with fleas. While stationed at Camp Latham, the soldiers did not see action against the Confederate Army, but were sent to fight Native Americans along the Owens River.
In 1862, a permanent Union Army post was built in Wilmington, and Camp Latham was disbanded. The Drum Barracks, as the new facility was called, consisted of 22 structures on 61 acres. It was the main staging, training and supply base for Union operations securing Southern California and the Arizona Territory. The Drum Barracks was the point of origin for the California Column, which went to New Mexico and fought in the Battle of Picacho Pass, the westernmost battle of the Civil War. Today, there is one building remaining, which is operated by the city of Los Angeles and volunteers, as a Civil War Museum.
Another Civil War-related local facility is the Veterans Administration Hospital, in West Los Angeles. It was originally built in the late 1880s and was called the National Soldier’s Home. It was only open to disabled Union soldiers, who slept in dormitories, wore uniforms and had to have permission to leave the home. Some of the original structures are still standing and the cemetery is the final resting place for many Civil War veterans.
Rosecrans Avenue is named after Union General William Rosecrans, who led the Army of the Cumberland to victories in battles at Corinth, Miss. and Chattanooga, Tenn. Originally from Ohio, Rosecrans acquired considerable local land holdings, which are now part of Hawthorne, Gardena and Redondo Beach.
A Confederate Civil War general, Joseph Lancaster Brent, came to Los Angeles in 1851 to practice law. He purchased large tracts of land in several areas. In 1861, he helped form a militia with other Southern sympathizers, called the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles, but he had to flee the troops at Camp Latham, who considered him a traitor. Before leaving, Brent sold Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela, which was later bought by Daniel Freeman and subdivided into Inglewood and Westchester.
Dean Smith is a member of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table, which holds free meetings in Marina del Rey the third Tuesday of each month. For more information, go to lacwrt.org or call (310) 570-9223.
