Camp Babbitt - Visalia's Union Outpost During the Civil War

In 1850, California became the 31st state in the Union. Its statehood wasn't without controversy. Slavery was a hot-button issue in the country at the time, but California came in as a "free" state, which meant slavery was prohibited.

When the Civil War began in 1861, the California state legislature denounced secession, and in May it pledged full support to "the Constitution and the Union in the hour of trial and peril." But despite the state's overall support for the North, there were plenty of pockets of Rebel resistance, and Visalia was one of them.

It was estimated that about half of the 600 residents were supportive of the Confederacy, earning Visalia the title "Charleston of California." Clearly the town was divided.

The southern sympathizers were a vocal lot spurred on by the Equal Rights Expositor newspaper owned by Lovick P. Hall and S. J. Garrison, both avid secessionists. Visalia's hostile political climate made it a rendezvous point for "Rebel sympathizers, murderers, thieves and assassins."

The bold actions and vitriolic rhetoric of the local southern sympathizers concerned Dr. Samuel Gregg George, a local Union supporter. It is said that he alerted General George Wright, the commander of the Department of the Pacific, to the insurgency in Visalia, and encouraged action.

On Monday, October 6, 1862, 57 California Volunteers of Company D, Second California Cavalry, arrived in Visalia having travelled 120 miles from Camp Independence in the Owens Valley. They were led by Lt. Colonel George S. Evans.

Two days after he arrived, Lt. Col. Evans reported that he had selected the site for the camp "about one mile north of the town." He called it Camp Babbitt, in honor of Lt. Col. E. B. Babbitt, quartermaster general of the Pacific Department.

(Note: Today the site is near the Ice House Theater at Race and Santa Fe streets.)

Initially, the camp was little more than a cluster of primitive huts and tents in the middle of a huge oak forest. Later, more permanent structures were built, including a guard house to lodge prisoners.

Soon after Lt. Col. Evans arrived, he gave his assessment of the situation. He raised the alarm writing, "...there are more secessionists in this and the adjoining counties than there are in proportion to the population in any part of the United States this side of Dixie...they are organized and armed, ready at a moment's warning to take up their arms against the Government of the United States. They are...the bitterest haters of our Government that can be found alive, and do not attempt to conceal their hatred."

For the next four years or so, the soldiers had their hands full as they attempted to establish order in a hostile environment, although some have argued that the soldiers might have instigated much of the violence.

Regardless, Camp Babbitt became a magnet for harassing antagonists. Frequently, local Rebels would ride past on horseback yelling, "Hurrah for Jefferson Davis," the president of the Confederacy. This infuriated the soldiers who confronted the out-of-line revelers.

Through all the hostilities, the Equal Rights Expositor continued to report on the South's successes, inflaming local Union patriots. In1862, the federal government banned the newspaper from being sent through the U.S. Mail, but the Expositor kept on publishing.

By March 1863, the soldiers had had enough. They sacked the newspaper office, destroyed the printing press and threw the printing type into the street. Their destructive visit marked the end of the Equal Rights Expositor, but not the end of Rebel influence in Visalia.

In the summer of 1863, another incident rocked Visalia. At about noon on August 6th, several soldiers from Camp Babbitt, including Sergeant Charles C. Stroble and Private Jim Donahue were walking down Main Street near Church. As they passed, a drunken man named Tilden Reed yelled, "Hurrah for Downey," making reference to the Democratic candidate for California governor who many believed was pro- South.

Donahue reacted to the comment warning Reed that if he repeated it, he would shoot him. More words were exchanged, this time with James L. Wells, a prominent Visalia businessman and pro-South sympathizer who was standing nearby. Private Donahue drew his pistol, and a gunfight began. Wells shot and killed Sgt. Stroble. Donahue was unhurt as was Wells who quickly fled town on horseback and never returned. The incident left Visalia reeling.

Sgt. Stroble was buried in the Visalia Cemetery with full military honors. By the way, Tilden Reed, the intoxicated man who started the incident, was arrested and locked up in the Camp Babbitt guard house. Interestingly, in 1865, he was elected Tulare County Sheriff.

The Civil War ended in 1865 and Visalia survived. Even though troops were stationed in Visalia for only four years, the short period represents some of the town's most divisive and violent times.