History

The Civil War was a pivotal event in the history of the United States;

unfortunately, few people realize that California played an important role in the

conflict. Although the major engagements took place in the East, troops from

the Drum Barracks kept California in the Union, protected much of the

Southwest and secured the Arizona Territory for the Union.

The Drum Barracks Civil War Museum is housed in the last remaining wooden

building of the Drum Barracks, named after Adjutant General Richard Coulter

Drum, head of the Department of the Pacific. This facility served as the Union

Army headquarters for Southern California and the Arizona Territory from

1861-1871.

The Drum Barracks, which was first called Camp Drum, served as the main

staging, training and supply base for military operations in the Southwest, and

occupied approximately 60 acres of land with an additional 37 acres near the

harbor. The land was sold to the Army by Phineas Banning and B.D. Wilson

for the sum of one dollar each.

After the Civil War ended, Californians from Camp Drum continued to remain

in the Southwest during the Indian Wars. The California units were recognized

by army commanders of the time as being among the best equipped and

trained in the U.S. Army.

From 1861 to 1865, approximately 17,000 Californians served in both western

volunteer regiments and in regiments fighting in the east.

The Drum Barracks was home to the California Column, formed and

commanded by Colonel James Henry Carleton, first commander of the camp.

In 1862, Texas volunteers had taken control of the Arizona Territory for the

Confederacy. Colonel Carleton was ordered by the War Department to gather

his troops and retake control of the territory. Thus, 2,350 men began a march

to Santa Fe during the driest summer of the century.

On the way, the California Column fought the Battle of Picacho Pass, the

westernmost battle of the Civil War. Colonel Carleton successfully marched

his troops through inhospitable territory without the loss of a single soldier, a

feat regarded as a masterpiece of military planning and execution.

The structure housing the museum originally served as the Junior Officers’

Quarters. The camp closed in 1871. For the next 94 years the Junior Officers’

Quarters served as a high school, a boarding house, and a family home. The

building was due to be demolished in the early 1960s, but was saved and

opened to the public as a museum in 1987 through the efforts of community

groups.