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Since past difficulties with the forum caused some articles I posted pertaining to the history of the war in California and the Far West to disappear, I decided to re-post the information as well as take this opportunity to expand upon it for the benefit of those interested.
Some time last year Zachary Whitlow posted a copy of a news article, that appeared in The Daily Breeze newspapers here in California, in a thread (also lost in the crash) about a rare "government camel" CDV image up for auction on eBay that was ultimately won by the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (http://www.drumbarracks.org ). Unfortunately some of the information given in the article about the image was based on supposition or was just flat out incorrect when compared to what I had found in my own search for a copy of the image in various archives. The article prompted me to contact the director of the Drum Barracks Museum with the information I had and provided a link to what I had found online. After receiving a reply from the director of the museum I posted the information about the image and it's origins for the forum's benefit.
I had searched the online catalog listings of the National Archives, Library of Congress, and the California State Archives for copies of this image. While the NARA and LOC sites yielded nothing on the image in question, I was more successful with the Online Archive of California site (http://www.oac.cdlib.org ). It was found to be one of a series of images taken sometime in the period between May and late December of 1863.
I believe that to be the time frame because of the presence of members of Co I, 4th California Volunteer Infantry (determined due to Captain Atchison of Co. I being ID'd by name in at least one of the photos he appears in) being present at Fort Mojave. They were at Drum Barracks until May 1863, and at Fort Mojave until March 1865 (the photos of these soldiers were the subject of a different post, also lost). The camels were at the Government Depot in New San Pedro (Wilmington) until late December when it was decided to walk them up the coast route to Benecia and they were sold at auction in 1864 to finally get them out of the Army's hair.
The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley has a collection of photos attributed to Rudolph D'Heureuse reportedly taken during a survey of the route to Fort Mojave. The entire finding aid can be found here with a description of the collection;
The copy of the camel photo in this collection, that appears to be from the original glass plate, can be viewed online at the following link;
One thing that quickly becomes apparent when comparing this photo to the CDV image in the eBay auction is that there is more to the original image that was cropped out of the CDV printing. There is also a black line box, which appears to be a cropping guide, that looks like it is etched into the glass plate.
The image was taken at the Government Depot located near Phineas Banning’s wharf in New San Pedro and is looking southward along the main street in the town (it would later be called Canal Street) which leads to the wharf. The image shows what some people think is an Arabian (one-hump) camel, otherwise known as a Dromedary. But upon close examination it is indeed a Bactrian (two-hump) camel fitted with a pack for carrying cargo. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a novel concept for the government to actually utilize a beast of burden for the intended purpose that it was originally purchased for, but there it is. Looking at the camel’s front legs, you can see that there is what I believe to be a man standing next to the camel. It’s unclear if he is on the side closest the camera, and blends in with the body of the camel so he can’t be made out, or if he is on the far side.
To me, the two figures on the loading dock of the warehouse look like civilians in frocks and top hats rather than officers in shakos as one person suggested on the original thread. If they are civilians, we could very well be looking at Phineas Banning and Benjamin D. Wilson themselves. A photographer in town taking pictures certainly would have been a rare occurrence, and getting the two most prominent citizens in an image wouldn’t be such an odd thing. I would be interested in what opinions the rest of membership has.
There are a number of some soldiers, most probably from Camp Drum (a mile distant in the opposite direction from the view of the camera), and what appear to be some civilians around the depot. These could be teamsters contracted for the transportation of supplies to the outlying camps and forts, townspeople, or even members of the expedition the photographer traveled with. The soldiers would be from Companies A, C, or E, 4th California Volunteer Infantry who were stationed at Camp Drum (Drum Barracks) during the period the photo was taken.
The Government Depot at New San Pedro was established in October 1861 when the depot in Los Angeles, that W. S. Hancock had recently vacated for the east, was relocated to the harbor. The depot handled the mountains of supplies that were to help prepare Col. James Carleton’s California Column for it’s march to meet Confederate forces invading the territories of Arizona and New Mexico with California as their ultimate goal. The depot continued to support the troops at the outlying camps and forts under the mantle of the Military District of Southern California (stretching from the Mexican border to the Owens Valley and from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River) for the duration of the war.
The building the camel is in front of is the Quartermaster warehouse and office. The building farther back, which is a mirror image of the QM building, is the Commissary office and warehouse. The shed in the distance is the depot’s blacksmith’s shop, to the right of that shed, hidden by the Commissary building, should be the depot’s wheelwright’s shop. The depot stretches to the right of the photo out of the frame. Unseen are the stables, the large barn at the far end, and the wagon shed along the far side, bringing us back to the Commissary building, forming a large rectangular complex one block wide by two blocks long with corrals and stalls in the center. A plat of the Government Depot complex can be found here at the California State Military Museum website;
In October of 1861 a camp had been established at New San Pedro (in present day downtown Wilmington) by regular Army troops waiting to board steamers for Panama for their journey east to fight the war. Also present were new California Volunteers sent there to handle the large quantities of supplies that were now coming through the port. The camp had no official name at this point and is referred to in the ORs simply as New San Pedro, but in November the camp was mentioned in the Los Angeles Star newspaper as Camp Banning. The camp was given an official name in General Order No. 4, dated January 13, 1862 [Series 1 - Volume 50 - Part I, Pg. 805 in the ORs], and would thereafter officially be known as Camp Drum.
The original location chosen for the camp proved to be a poor one. The winter of 1861-1862 was a very wet one and since much of the coastline there was marshy, the camp was often flooded and muddy. The men were leading a miserable existence to say the least, so a better location was chosen, a mile from the shoreline, on higher ground. Phineas Banning, along with his business partner, Benjamin D. Wilson, sold the land for the relocated Camp Drum to the Army for $2.00 with the proviso that the land would revert back to them when the Army closed the camp. The depot was also on land provided by Banning and reverted back to him (as the camp did) upon the closing of the depot. As time progressed, permanent wood frame structures were erected, the final construction ending in September of 1863. Not long after, the town’s name officially changed from New San Pedro to Wilmington as the California State Legislature had granted permission earlier in the year per a request made by Banning.
Two separate requests were made of the War Department to change the name of the post to Fort Drum owing to the size and importance of the installation, both were ignored. Since the designation of fort being commonly used for denoting a defensive function, with Camp Drum’s primary function being the training of recruits and housing of troops in transit or awaiting assignment, the designation of Barracks was more fitting. General Order No. 10, dated November 25, 1863 [Series 1 - Volume 50 - Part II, Pg. 685 in the ORs], ordered that beginning December 1, Camp Drum thereafter be named Drum Barracks.
For purposes of better understanding the location of buildings, the relationship between the depot and Drum Barracks, and where the photograph was taken, I offer a sketch, “A Bird’s Eye View Of Los Angeles” made in 1877, that also shows the town of Wilmington. While this was made post war, it does have objects of interest to this discussion. It shows most of the buildings that made up Wilmington Depot, plus buildings in the distance labeled as “College Buildings” that were part of the Drum Barracks post. In the early 1870s Wilson donated some of the former post buildings, which he purchased after the camp closed, to the Methodist Church for the formation of a college. Among the structures pictured is the Junior Officers’ Quarters building that now houses the museum. This sketch can be found on the LOC site at this link;
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Or at the OAC;
Even though the sketch is out of proper scale, the streets are somewhat skewed from their correct alignment, and the Drum Barracks buildings are slightly misplaced relative to Banning Street, it will give you the general idea. The Drum Barracks buildings can be compared to a plat of the layout of the camp found here at the California State Military Museum (Be advised, the plat of the Drum Barracks is rotated 90 degrees to the east from the proper alignment, for example the Junior Officers’ Quarters appears at the top instead of the left where it should be);
The following link to Yahoo! Maps shows modern day Wilmington and how the area has been developed over the years. The flag labeled “A” is the where the Yahoo! Maps software marks the location of the Junior Officers’ Quarters building which now houses the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, although when zoomed in the flag’s placement is slightly off. The flag labeled “B” is the intersection of South Avalon Bl. and West A Street in Wilmington, CA, the approximate northeast corner of the Government Depot property. This is about the location of where the image of the camel was taken. The original shoreline, where Banning’s Wharf was located is just south of there, about where the railroad tracks cross Avalon Bl. This map gives you a better idea of the actual distance separating the Government Depot from the Junior Officers’ Quarters on the western side of Camp Drum;
The following is an excerpt from the biography of Lt. Col. James F. Curtis on the Drum Barracks Museum's website (http://www.drumbarracks.org/Original...nel_curtis.htm ) that describes the town of New San Pedro (Wilmington) in July of 1863 when Lt. Col. Curtis arrived from San Francisco to take command of the post as well as the entire District of Southern California. The description can be used in conjunction with the sketch of Wilmington on the LOC site (linked above) for a pretty good understanding of what the town was like.
I happened to run across more images relating to Drum Barracks and Wilmington Depot in the collections of the Los Angeles Public Library (http://www.lapl.org ) and thought I would include some of them.
Unfortunately, the way the Los Angeles Public Library website is set up causes direct links to the photograph's record to function only temporarily (at least on my computer), but you can link directly to the photograph file itself. Another problem is that many of the photos are listed under the same title, which can be a bit confusing, so I will attempt to identify each photograph and it's relevance to the best of my ability, then give the link and paste the library's record including their description, order and file numbers, etc.
1 - The Exchange Hotel mentioned in the description of New San Pedro (Wilmington) when Lt.Col. Curtis arrived in town in July of 1863. Aside from the Government Depot down by the wharf and Camp Drum (Drum Barracks), it would have been a hub of activity in the town, at least for the civilian population. Note what is in all probability one of transportation magnate Phineas Banning's stagecoaches in front of the hotel.
Title: Wilmington Exchange
Date: 1863
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Wilmington Exchange in 1863.
Subject Headings: Wilmington Exchange. Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024477
File Number: S-005-313 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Buildings.
Format: Photograph
2 - The harbor at New San Pedro (Wilmington) was within a tidal estuary fed by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers which was accessible by vessels with only the shallowest of drafts. Until Phineas Banning dredged a channel and turning basin so that larger vessels could reach the wharves, passengers and cargo were transferred to "lighters" (small shallow draft vessels) from the larger vessels that would have to anchor in the deeper water out past Deadman's Island. This was how Lt. Col. Curtis, and all the troops and supplies destined for Camp Drum and the Government Depot would come ashore. The 1880 drawing linked below shows the channel, dredged post war, along the path the lighters would take. The breakwaters shown were also constructed post war. The area shown as Rattlesnake Island would eventually be drastically altered through dredging out channels, shifting and building up the land mass to become Terminal Island. Deadman's Island was dredged away into nonexistence in the 1928 improvements to the harbor channel. Continued construction has made the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex one of the largest and busiest ports in the country.
Title: Wilmington Harbor, a drawing
Date: ca. 1880.
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Drawing of Wilmington Harbor, showing the breakwater, channel and basin. Wilson's College (top right) was established in 1873 and existed in the early 1880's. Subject Headings: Wilson's College (San Pedro : Los Angeles, Calif.) Harbors California San Pedro (Los Angeles) Maps. Breakwaters California San Pedro (Los Angeles) Straits California San Pedro (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles San Pedro (Los Angeles).
Order Number: 00033170
File Number: N-000-797 8x10
File Heading: Transportation-L.A.-Harbor-Maps and charts.
Format: Photograph
3 - Banning's Landing (ca. 1900?). This view looking southward along Canal St. (Avalon Bl.) shows the harbor with Rattlesnake Island in the distance and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Another print of this image in the library's collection, with sections of the background and foreground obliterated, suggests this was how the area appeared ca. 1900. From the high angle of the photo I would venture a guess that it was taken from the rooftop of a building in the approximate location of the Government Depot (whether it was actually taken from the rooftop cupola of the former Commissary Warehouse I cannot say). The wetland/swamplike nature of much of the shore area is evident in this photo, some sections of Wilmington were subject to periodic flooding well into the last century.
Title: Foot of Canal, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: View of the Wilmington harbor at the foot of Canal Avenue, at Avalon Boulevard. The area is quite flooded.
Subject Headings: Canal Avenue (Los Angeles, Calif.) Streets California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Floods California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Harbors California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024492
File Number: S-007-522 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Streets-Canal.
Format: Photograph
4 - Exterior view of former Government Depot showing what is identified in the plat (linked above) as the Commissary Office and Warehouse sometime after the property officially reverted back to Phineas Banning in 1873 (the Depot and Drum Barracks had closed in 1871). Banning purchased the structures from the Government at auction for $1,000.00, and continued to utilize the complex in his freighting business. When this image is compared to the image of the government camel, the mainly cosmetic alterations to some of the structures are apparent.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks Quarter Master Building, taken some years after the close of the facility. It has been altered.
Subject Headings: Military camps California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Order Number: 00056675
File Number: S-007-745 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
5 - The Government Depot Barn/Warehouse at the far end of the complex as viewed from the South/seaward side, date unknown. Judging by the power lines and the fact that exposure to the elements has removed almost all of it's original white paint, my guess is the image was taken sometime in the early half of the last century. My understanding is that this building was used to store forage for the numerous animals both kept at the depot and sent to the far flung outposts the depot supplied. The Barn/Warehouse is bordered by C St. (Fries Ave.) on the West, Front St. (West A St.) on the North, the rest of the complex property on the East, and the water on the South. This photo shows why the structure was originally constructed on pilings (at least on it's southern end) raising it's floor 5 ft. above high tide level trying to ensure the forage remain as dry as possible.
Title: Banning warehouse
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of Phineas Banning's wooden warehouse building.
Subject Headings: Banning, Phineas, 1830-1885. Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington. Canal Street.
Order Number: 00024478
File Number: N-000-501 8x10
File Heading: Wilmington-Buildings.
Format: Photograph
6 - The Government Depot Barn/Warehouse at the far end of the complex as viewed from the north/landward side at the corner of West A St. and Fries Ave., 1939. At the point in time the image was taken it is most likely the only remaining structure of the Government Depot still standing, there is signage which states the property is for sale or lease. I wonder what the asking price was. The land the depot occupied is now home to industrial and storage tank facilities.
Title: Government Supply House
Date: 1939
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The old Government Supply House in Wilmington at the corner of Fries Avenue and West A Street. The building is for sale or lease.
Subject Headings: Government Supply House (Wilmington, Calif.) Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington. Fries Avenue. A Street.
Order Number: 00024455
File Number: S-13(2314-B) 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington.
Format: Photograph
7 - Former Commanding Officer's quarters, Drum Barracks, viewed from (that I can deduce) the Southwest corner of the front of the building, ca. 1900. This structure was, along with the former hospital building, donated to the Methodist Church by B.D. Wilson to establish a college, which was named in his honor, it was used as a boarding house for the college. Don McDowell states in his book, The Beat of the Drum (1993, Graffic:Publishers, Santa Ana, CA ), that the building lasted until 1917. The photograph shows it had certainly seen better days. The picket fence is most likely part of the fence that surrounded the perimeter of the 16 acre rectangular parade ground.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: ca. 1900
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of a building in the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington circa 1900.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024466
File Number: N-002-772 8x10
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
8 - Camp Guardhouse, interior view, no date. This image shows two wooden doors with small barred windows, long strap iron hinges, and two iron latches per door, the far cell door is slightly ajar showing a barred window in the exterior wall. If you look to the left of the first door, at the opposite end of the iron straps of the hinges, you'll notice pins in the strap ends for another door to a cell that has been removed, probably to make more room within the structure for it's apparent adapted use as a garage or workshop. I'm not sure exactly how many cells the guardhouse had, but from post returns it appears that it saw a good deal of use, the January 1868 return listed as many as nine men "confined for trial." The guardhouse was located on the North side of present day Opp St. between Lecouvreur and Eubank Avenues. Don McDowell's book states that the guardhouse was torn down in 1927.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks doors
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Two grated cell doors of the old guard house at the Military Post Drum Barracks at the Los Angeles Harbor, used during the Civil War.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024456
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
9 - Former post Powder Magazine, pre-1920. Purchased by Phineas Banning at the 1873 auction of post buildings for the sum of $16.00, it remained as it is seen in this photograph as the town of Wilmington grew and the land occupied by the former post turned into neighborhoods. Having been unused for many years for any known purpose other than being a local curiosity, in 1920 the property was obtained by a man named Larsen, who had plans for the structure. The former post guardhouse would have been about 15-20 yards to the west of this location, far out of frame to the left. The 5 troop barracks and two-story hospital building would have been on the opposite side of Eubank Ave. (in the background), roughly toward the group of trees to the North.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks powder magazine
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The old powder magazine of the Fort Drum Barracks at the Los Angeles Harbor, used during the Civil War. In this view, people and animals have made themselves at home.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Cows California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Sheep California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024457
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
10 - Historic Market, date unknown. When Mr. Larson bought the property occupied by the former post powder magazine he built a market around the structure and used it as a cold storage locker for his meat products. Later the building was converted into a residence, which was then torn down in 1982, re-exposing the stone structure after 62 years. The stone powder magazine now sits surrounded by a concrete slab in an otherwise vacant lot at the Northwest corner of the intersection of Opp St. and Eubank Ave. enclosed by a security fence.
Title: Eubank and Opp Streets, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The intersection of Eubank Avenue and Opp Street in Wilmington. On the corner is the Historic Market and Historic Barber Shop. Oil derricks are seen behind.
Subject Headings: Historic Market (Wilmington, Calif.) Historic Barber Shop (Wilmington, Calif.) Eubank Avenue (Wilmington, Calif.) Opp Street (Wilmington, Calif.) Streets California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Stores, Retail California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Oil well drilling rigs California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024494
File Heading: Wilmington-Streets-Eubank and Opp.
Format: Photograph
11 - Junior Officers' Quarters, Drum Barracks. After the closing of the post this building has been used as a private residence, a public school, and a boarding house. The building slowly deteriorated over the years while the others of the former post were razed in the name of progress, eventually making it the sole surviving wood frame structure of Drum Barracks. Narrowly escaping demolition in 1965, it was taken apart down to the framing and refurbished to finally become the home of the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum. There are several images of the building from various dates in the collection, in the interest of brevity and non-repetitiveness, I will only post a few.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: ca. 1920
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington circa 1920.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024461
File Number: N-002-773 8x10x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024467
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: 1937
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: United States Army officers' quarters at the Drum Barracks in Wilmington, used from 1862-1875. Later used as a private residence, with many historic relics.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024460
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks entrance
Date: 1937
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Entrance to the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington in 1937.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024462
File Number: A-003-207 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
I hope other members of the forum find these images as interesting as I do.
Since past difficulties with the forum caused some articles I posted pertaining to the history of the war in California and the Far West to disappear, I decided to re-post the information as well as take this opportunity to expand upon it for the benefit of those interested.
Some time last year Zachary Whitlow posted a copy of a news article, that appeared in The Daily Breeze newspapers here in California, in a thread (also lost in the crash) about a rare "government camel" CDV image up for auction on eBay that was ultimately won by the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (http://www.drumbarracks.org ). Unfortunately some of the information given in the article about the image was based on supposition or was just flat out incorrect when compared to what I had found in my own search for a copy of the image in various archives. The article prompted me to contact the director of the Drum Barracks Museum with the information I had and provided a link to what I had found online. After receiving a reply from the director of the museum I posted the information about the image and it's origins for the forum's benefit.
I had searched the online catalog listings of the National Archives, Library of Congress, and the California State Archives for copies of this image. While the NARA and LOC sites yielded nothing on the image in question, I was more successful with the Online Archive of California site (http://www.oac.cdlib.org ). It was found to be one of a series of images taken sometime in the period between May and late December of 1863.
I believe that to be the time frame because of the presence of members of Co I, 4th California Volunteer Infantry (determined due to Captain Atchison of Co. I being ID'd by name in at least one of the photos he appears in) being present at Fort Mojave. They were at Drum Barracks until May 1863, and at Fort Mojave until March 1865 (the photos of these soldiers were the subject of a different post, also lost). The camels were at the Government Depot in New San Pedro (Wilmington) until late December when it was decided to walk them up the coast route to Benecia and they were sold at auction in 1864 to finally get them out of the Army's hair.
The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley has a collection of photos attributed to Rudolph D'Heureuse reportedly taken during a survey of the route to Fort Mojave. The entire finding aid can be found here with a description of the collection;
The copy of the camel photo in this collection, that appears to be from the original glass plate, can be viewed online at the following link;
One thing that quickly becomes apparent when comparing this photo to the CDV image in the eBay auction is that there is more to the original image that was cropped out of the CDV printing. There is also a black line box, which appears to be a cropping guide, that looks like it is etched into the glass plate.
The image was taken at the Government Depot located near Phineas Banning’s wharf in New San Pedro and is looking southward along the main street in the town (it would later be called Canal Street) which leads to the wharf. The image shows what some people think is an Arabian (one-hump) camel, otherwise known as a Dromedary. But upon close examination it is indeed a Bactrian (two-hump) camel fitted with a pack for carrying cargo. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a novel concept for the government to actually utilize a beast of burden for the intended purpose that it was originally purchased for, but there it is. Looking at the camel’s front legs, you can see that there is what I believe to be a man standing next to the camel. It’s unclear if he is on the side closest the camera, and blends in with the body of the camel so he can’t be made out, or if he is on the far side.
To me, the two figures on the loading dock of the warehouse look like civilians in frocks and top hats rather than officers in shakos as one person suggested on the original thread. If they are civilians, we could very well be looking at Phineas Banning and Benjamin D. Wilson themselves. A photographer in town taking pictures certainly would have been a rare occurrence, and getting the two most prominent citizens in an image wouldn’t be such an odd thing. I would be interested in what opinions the rest of membership has.
There are a number of some soldiers, most probably from Camp Drum (a mile distant in the opposite direction from the view of the camera), and what appear to be some civilians around the depot. These could be teamsters contracted for the transportation of supplies to the outlying camps and forts, townspeople, or even members of the expedition the photographer traveled with. The soldiers would be from Companies A, C, or E, 4th California Volunteer Infantry who were stationed at Camp Drum (Drum Barracks) during the period the photo was taken.
The Government Depot at New San Pedro was established in October 1861 when the depot in Los Angeles, that W. S. Hancock had recently vacated for the east, was relocated to the harbor. The depot handled the mountains of supplies that were to help prepare Col. James Carleton’s California Column for it’s march to meet Confederate forces invading the territories of Arizona and New Mexico with California as their ultimate goal. The depot continued to support the troops at the outlying camps and forts under the mantle of the Military District of Southern California (stretching from the Mexican border to the Owens Valley and from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River) for the duration of the war.
The building the camel is in front of is the Quartermaster warehouse and office. The building farther back, which is a mirror image of the QM building, is the Commissary office and warehouse. The shed in the distance is the depot’s blacksmith’s shop, to the right of that shed, hidden by the Commissary building, should be the depot’s wheelwright’s shop. The depot stretches to the right of the photo out of the frame. Unseen are the stables, the large barn at the far end, and the wagon shed along the far side, bringing us back to the Commissary building, forming a large rectangular complex one block wide by two blocks long with corrals and stalls in the center. A plat of the Government Depot complex can be found here at the California State Military Museum website;
In October of 1861 a camp had been established at New San Pedro (in present day downtown Wilmington) by regular Army troops waiting to board steamers for Panama for their journey east to fight the war. Also present were new California Volunteers sent there to handle the large quantities of supplies that were now coming through the port. The camp had no official name at this point and is referred to in the ORs simply as New San Pedro, but in November the camp was mentioned in the Los Angeles Star newspaper as Camp Banning. The camp was given an official name in General Order No. 4, dated January 13, 1862 [Series 1 - Volume 50 - Part I, Pg. 805 in the ORs], and would thereafter officially be known as Camp Drum.
The original location chosen for the camp proved to be a poor one. The winter of 1861-1862 was a very wet one and since much of the coastline there was marshy, the camp was often flooded and muddy. The men were leading a miserable existence to say the least, so a better location was chosen, a mile from the shoreline, on higher ground. Phineas Banning, along with his business partner, Benjamin D. Wilson, sold the land for the relocated Camp Drum to the Army for $2.00 with the proviso that the land would revert back to them when the Army closed the camp. The depot was also on land provided by Banning and reverted back to him (as the camp did) upon the closing of the depot. As time progressed, permanent wood frame structures were erected, the final construction ending in September of 1863. Not long after, the town’s name officially changed from New San Pedro to Wilmington as the California State Legislature had granted permission earlier in the year per a request made by Banning.
Two separate requests were made of the War Department to change the name of the post to Fort Drum owing to the size and importance of the installation, both were ignored. Since the designation of fort being commonly used for denoting a defensive function, with Camp Drum’s primary function being the training of recruits and housing of troops in transit or awaiting assignment, the designation of Barracks was more fitting. General Order No. 10, dated November 25, 1863 [Series 1 - Volume 50 - Part II, Pg. 685 in the ORs], ordered that beginning December 1, Camp Drum thereafter be named Drum Barracks.
For purposes of better understanding the location of buildings, the relationship between the depot and Drum Barracks, and where the photograph was taken, I offer a sketch, “A Bird’s Eye View Of Los Angeles” made in 1877, that also shows the town of Wilmington. While this was made post war, it does have objects of interest to this discussion. It shows most of the buildings that made up Wilmington Depot, plus buildings in the distance labeled as “College Buildings” that were part of the Drum Barracks post. In the early 1870s Wilson donated some of the former post buildings, which he purchased after the camp closed, to the Methodist Church for the formation of a college. Among the structures pictured is the Junior Officers’ Quarters building that now houses the museum. This sketch can be found on the LOC site at this link;
Or at the OAC;
Even though the sketch is out of proper scale, the streets are somewhat skewed from their correct alignment, and the Drum Barracks buildings are slightly misplaced relative to Banning Street, it will give you the general idea. The Drum Barracks buildings can be compared to a plat of the layout of the camp found here at the California State Military Museum (Be advised, the plat of the Drum Barracks is rotated 90 degrees to the east from the proper alignment, for example the Junior Officers’ Quarters appears at the top instead of the left where it should be);
The following link to Yahoo! Maps shows modern day Wilmington and how the area has been developed over the years. The flag labeled “A” is the where the Yahoo! Maps software marks the location of the Junior Officers’ Quarters building which now houses the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, although when zoomed in the flag’s placement is slightly off. The flag labeled “B” is the intersection of South Avalon Bl. and West A Street in Wilmington, CA, the approximate northeast corner of the Government Depot property. This is about the location of where the image of the camel was taken. The original shoreline, where Banning’s Wharf was located is just south of there, about where the railroad tracks cross Avalon Bl. This map gives you a better idea of the actual distance separating the Government Depot from the Junior Officers’ Quarters on the western side of Camp Drum;
The following is an excerpt from the biography of Lt. Col. James F. Curtis on the Drum Barracks Museum's website (http://www.drumbarracks.org/Original...nel_curtis.htm ) that describes the town of New San Pedro (Wilmington) in July of 1863 when Lt. Col. Curtis arrived from San Francisco to take command of the post as well as the entire District of Southern California. The description can be used in conjunction with the sketch of Wilmington on the LOC site (linked above) for a pretty good understanding of what the town was like.
Lieutenant Colonel Curtis arrived in San Pedro late in the afternoon of July 7th 1863 aboard the side-wheeler Senator. He received welcoming handshakes and salutes from the post adjutant Lieutenant W. Scobey, Captains Benjamin West & E.W. Hillyer of companies C & E 4th Infantry, and surgeon S.S. Todd. After a 30-minute trip by small lighter to Banning’s Wharf, Curtis was given a tour by wagon of the small town of Wilmington by Todd who had been there the longest. The town in the summer of 1863 was small by today's standards, but nevertheless it contained all the necessary establishments for daily life. Close to Banning’s Wharf on the left was the huge Government Depot built a year earlier to receive and dispatch the supplies needed to support the California Column in it's march to the Rio Grande. Beyond the depot were a mill and a warehouse that could hold 90,000 sacks of grain, then a blacksmith and wagon repair shop (as indispensable then as hardware stores and car repair shops are today). North of “B” Street or Harry Bridges Avenue was a store that doubled as a post office and then the two story “Exchange Hotel” and a hardware and building supply warehouse next to a large lumberyard. It was noted that most of the aforementioned businesses were owned and operated by Phineas Banning and his employees.
On the East side of the road (later called Canal Street after the canal Banning dredged to allow ships to dock at his new Wharf and after that Avalon Blvd.) was Banning’s Machine shop, a rooming house, an adobe saloon at the corner of “B” street and then a harness shop. Next was a large and pungent establishment, which was a combination beef jerky, soap and tallow works that rendered the suet from cattle of neighboring ranches for their meat and hides. Then there was an open area and the Drum post property.
On the East side of the road (later called Canal Street after the canal Banning dredged to allow ships to dock at his new Wharf and after that Avalon Blvd.) was Banning’s Machine shop, a rooming house, an adobe saloon at the corner of “B” street and then a harness shop. Next was a large and pungent establishment, which was a combination beef jerky, soap and tallow works that rendered the suet from cattle of neighboring ranches for their meat and hides. Then there was an open area and the Drum post property.
Unfortunately, the way the Los Angeles Public Library website is set up causes direct links to the photograph's record to function only temporarily (at least on my computer), but you can link directly to the photograph file itself. Another problem is that many of the photos are listed under the same title, which can be a bit confusing, so I will attempt to identify each photograph and it's relevance to the best of my ability, then give the link and paste the library's record including their description, order and file numbers, etc.
1 - The Exchange Hotel mentioned in the description of New San Pedro (Wilmington) when Lt.Col. Curtis arrived in town in July of 1863. Aside from the Government Depot down by the wharf and Camp Drum (Drum Barracks), it would have been a hub of activity in the town, at least for the civilian population. Note what is in all probability one of transportation magnate Phineas Banning's stagecoaches in front of the hotel.
Title: Wilmington Exchange
Date: 1863
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Wilmington Exchange in 1863.
Subject Headings: Wilmington Exchange. Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024477
File Number: S-005-313 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Buildings.
Format: Photograph
2 - The harbor at New San Pedro (Wilmington) was within a tidal estuary fed by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers which was accessible by vessels with only the shallowest of drafts. Until Phineas Banning dredged a channel and turning basin so that larger vessels could reach the wharves, passengers and cargo were transferred to "lighters" (small shallow draft vessels) from the larger vessels that would have to anchor in the deeper water out past Deadman's Island. This was how Lt. Col. Curtis, and all the troops and supplies destined for Camp Drum and the Government Depot would come ashore. The 1880 drawing linked below shows the channel, dredged post war, along the path the lighters would take. The breakwaters shown were also constructed post war. The area shown as Rattlesnake Island would eventually be drastically altered through dredging out channels, shifting and building up the land mass to become Terminal Island. Deadman's Island was dredged away into nonexistence in the 1928 improvements to the harbor channel. Continued construction has made the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex one of the largest and busiest ports in the country.
Title: Wilmington Harbor, a drawing
Date: ca. 1880.
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Drawing of Wilmington Harbor, showing the breakwater, channel and basin. Wilson's College (top right) was established in 1873 and existed in the early 1880's. Subject Headings: Wilson's College (San Pedro : Los Angeles, Calif.) Harbors California San Pedro (Los Angeles) Maps. Breakwaters California San Pedro (Los Angeles) Straits California San Pedro (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles San Pedro (Los Angeles).
Order Number: 00033170
File Number: N-000-797 8x10
File Heading: Transportation-L.A.-Harbor-Maps and charts.
Format: Photograph
3 - Banning's Landing (ca. 1900?). This view looking southward along Canal St. (Avalon Bl.) shows the harbor with Rattlesnake Island in the distance and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Another print of this image in the library's collection, with sections of the background and foreground obliterated, suggests this was how the area appeared ca. 1900. From the high angle of the photo I would venture a guess that it was taken from the rooftop of a building in the approximate location of the Government Depot (whether it was actually taken from the rooftop cupola of the former Commissary Warehouse I cannot say). The wetland/swamplike nature of much of the shore area is evident in this photo, some sections of Wilmington were subject to periodic flooding well into the last century.
Title: Foot of Canal, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: View of the Wilmington harbor at the foot of Canal Avenue, at Avalon Boulevard. The area is quite flooded.
Subject Headings: Canal Avenue (Los Angeles, Calif.) Streets California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Floods California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Harbors California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024492
File Number: S-007-522 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Streets-Canal.
Format: Photograph
4 - Exterior view of former Government Depot showing what is identified in the plat (linked above) as the Commissary Office and Warehouse sometime after the property officially reverted back to Phineas Banning in 1873 (the Depot and Drum Barracks had closed in 1871). Banning purchased the structures from the Government at auction for $1,000.00, and continued to utilize the complex in his freighting business. When this image is compared to the image of the government camel, the mainly cosmetic alterations to some of the structures are apparent.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks Quarter Master Building, taken some years after the close of the facility. It has been altered.
Subject Headings: Military camps California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Order Number: 00056675
File Number: S-007-745 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
5 - The Government Depot Barn/Warehouse at the far end of the complex as viewed from the South/seaward side, date unknown. Judging by the power lines and the fact that exposure to the elements has removed almost all of it's original white paint, my guess is the image was taken sometime in the early half of the last century. My understanding is that this building was used to store forage for the numerous animals both kept at the depot and sent to the far flung outposts the depot supplied. The Barn/Warehouse is bordered by C St. (Fries Ave.) on the West, Front St. (West A St.) on the North, the rest of the complex property on the East, and the water on the South. This photo shows why the structure was originally constructed on pilings (at least on it's southern end) raising it's floor 5 ft. above high tide level trying to ensure the forage remain as dry as possible.
Title: Banning warehouse
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of Phineas Banning's wooden warehouse building.
Subject Headings: Banning, Phineas, 1830-1885. Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington. Canal Street.
Order Number: 00024478
File Number: N-000-501 8x10
File Heading: Wilmington-Buildings.
Format: Photograph
6 - The Government Depot Barn/Warehouse at the far end of the complex as viewed from the north/landward side at the corner of West A St. and Fries Ave., 1939. At the point in time the image was taken it is most likely the only remaining structure of the Government Depot still standing, there is signage which states the property is for sale or lease. I wonder what the asking price was. The land the depot occupied is now home to industrial and storage tank facilities.
Title: Government Supply House
Date: 1939
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The old Government Supply House in Wilmington at the corner of Fries Avenue and West A Street. The building is for sale or lease.
Subject Headings: Government Supply House (Wilmington, Calif.) Buildings California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington. Fries Avenue. A Street.
Order Number: 00024455
File Number: S-13(2314-B) 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington.
Format: Photograph
7 - Former Commanding Officer's quarters, Drum Barracks, viewed from (that I can deduce) the Southwest corner of the front of the building, ca. 1900. This structure was, along with the former hospital building, donated to the Methodist Church by B.D. Wilson to establish a college, which was named in his honor, it was used as a boarding house for the college. Don McDowell states in his book, The Beat of the Drum (1993, Graffic:Publishers, Santa Ana, CA ), that the building lasted until 1917. The photograph shows it had certainly seen better days. The picket fence is most likely part of the fence that surrounded the perimeter of the 16 acre rectangular parade ground.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: ca. 1900
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of a building in the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington circa 1900.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024466
File Number: N-002-772 8x10
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
8 - Camp Guardhouse, interior view, no date. This image shows two wooden doors with small barred windows, long strap iron hinges, and two iron latches per door, the far cell door is slightly ajar showing a barred window in the exterior wall. If you look to the left of the first door, at the opposite end of the iron straps of the hinges, you'll notice pins in the strap ends for another door to a cell that has been removed, probably to make more room within the structure for it's apparent adapted use as a garage or workshop. I'm not sure exactly how many cells the guardhouse had, but from post returns it appears that it saw a good deal of use, the January 1868 return listed as many as nine men "confined for trial." The guardhouse was located on the North side of present day Opp St. between Lecouvreur and Eubank Avenues. Don McDowell's book states that the guardhouse was torn down in 1927.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks doors
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Two grated cell doors of the old guard house at the Military Post Drum Barracks at the Los Angeles Harbor, used during the Civil War.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024456
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
9 - Former post Powder Magazine, pre-1920. Purchased by Phineas Banning at the 1873 auction of post buildings for the sum of $16.00, it remained as it is seen in this photograph as the town of Wilmington grew and the land occupied by the former post turned into neighborhoods. Having been unused for many years for any known purpose other than being a local curiosity, in 1920 the property was obtained by a man named Larsen, who had plans for the structure. The former post guardhouse would have been about 15-20 yards to the west of this location, far out of frame to the left. The 5 troop barracks and two-story hospital building would have been on the opposite side of Eubank Ave. (in the background), roughly toward the group of trees to the North.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks powder magazine
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The old powder magazine of the Fort Drum Barracks at the Los Angeles Harbor, used during the Civil War. In this view, people and animals have made themselves at home.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Cows California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Sheep California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024457
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
10 - Historic Market, date unknown. When Mr. Larson bought the property occupied by the former post powder magazine he built a market around the structure and used it as a cold storage locker for his meat products. Later the building was converted into a residence, which was then torn down in 1982, re-exposing the stone structure after 62 years. The stone powder magazine now sits surrounded by a concrete slab in an otherwise vacant lot at the Northwest corner of the intersection of Opp St. and Eubank Ave. enclosed by a security fence.
Title: Eubank and Opp Streets, Wilmington
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: The intersection of Eubank Avenue and Opp Street in Wilmington. On the corner is the Historic Market and Historic Barber Shop. Oil derricks are seen behind.
Subject Headings: Historic Market (Wilmington, Calif.) Historic Barber Shop (Wilmington, Calif.) Eubank Avenue (Wilmington, Calif.) Opp Street (Wilmington, Calif.) Streets California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Stores, Retail California Wilmington (Los Angeles) Oil well drilling rigs California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024494
File Heading: Wilmington-Streets-Eubank and Opp.
Format: Photograph
11 - Junior Officers' Quarters, Drum Barracks. After the closing of the post this building has been used as a private residence, a public school, and a boarding house. The building slowly deteriorated over the years while the others of the former post were razed in the name of progress, eventually making it the sole surviving wood frame structure of Drum Barracks. Narrowly escaping demolition in 1965, it was taken apart down to the framing and refurbished to finally become the home of the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum. There are several images of the building from various dates in the collection, in the interest of brevity and non-repetitiveness, I will only post a few.
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: ca. 1920
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington circa 1920.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024461
File Number: N-002-773 8x10x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: [n.d.]
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Exterior view of the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024467
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks
Date: 1937
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: United States Army officers' quarters at the Drum Barracks in Wilmington, used from 1862-1875. Later used as a private residence, with many historic relics.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024460
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
Title: Fort Drum Barracks entrance
Date: 1937
Physical Details: 1 photograph : b&w
Collection: SPNB
Description: Entrance to the Fort Drum Barracks in Wilmington in 1937.
Subject Headings: Fort Drum Barracks (Wilmington, Calif.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865. Fortification California Wilmington (Los Angeles)
Location: United States California Los Angeles Wilmington.
Order Number: 00024462
File Number: A-003-207 4x5
File Heading: Wilmington-Fort Drum Barracks.
Format: Photograph
I hope other members of the forum find these images as interesting as I do.