DRUM BARRACKS CIVIL WAR MUSEUM

As the Civil War began in 1861, the Army rushed to establish a base in Southern California to amass supplies and to house troops. Named Camp Drum after Adjutant General Richard Coulter Drum, the Union Army headquarters in Southern California and Arizona Territory was a key military base. It protected the port of Los Angeles, kept the peace and secured much of the Southwest for the Union.

In Wilmington, the town that was once called Camp Drum, stands a small museum, DRUM BARRACKS CIVIL WAR MUSEUM, commemorating California’s contribution to the Civil War. Located on the shores of Banning’s Wharf, it is the only original Civil War-era military facility in Southern California and has been designated a Historic Cultural Monument.

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The Drum Barracks Civil War Museum is housed in the last remaining wooden building of 22 buildings that made up the 60-acre military post of Drum Barracks, first named Camp Drum and later known as the Army’s main staging, training and supply base for the Union Army in the Southwest. It served as the Union Army’s main headquarters for military operations in Southern California and the Arizona Territory from 1861 to 1871, occupying approximately sixty acres of land and thirty-seven acres near the harbor.

Visiting this museum is like being transported back in time. You’ll see a Gatling gun, reproduction enlisted men’s “cribs,” hand-made soldiers’ uniforms, McClellan saddles, a cloth checkerboard with corncob playing pieces, and artifacts from the Civil War. You’ll hear about the advances in warfare that were made during that era. You’ll also see how the Drum Barracks Hospital, a major medical facility for Union and Confederate troops stationed at the barracks, saved lives.

You’ll even learn about an experiment that the Army tried to implement during the Civil War, using camels as pack animals for military transport. Although they were thought to be better pack animals than horses in the dry Southwestern climate, the experiment failed and the army ended up selling off the camels.

Another exhibit shows how the Army used camels to transport troops through the Rio Grande Valley, which had been invaded by Confederate forces from Texas. During this long and difficult journey, Union soldiers from the Pacific Coast of California successfully secured the area for the Union.

The only Civil War-era military facilities in Southern California, the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum is a must visit for anyone interested in Civil War history or in the region’s past. Founded in 1987, the museum is open to the public for guided tours on weekdays and weekends.