Historic California Posts, Camps,
Stations and Airfields
Camp Allen
(Encinal de Alameda)
Not to be confused with Oakland's Camp Allen. One of four state and brigade
level training camps for the California Militia held in October
1863 for units of the Second Brigade. These were mandated by
the California Legilslaure and the Governor so as to improve
the quality of the militia during the Civil War. It is not know
if any other brigade conducted such camps. The other camps held
that year were:
Camp Stanford, Alameda County: Statewide officers training camp
held in May 1863.
Camp Gilmore, French Camp Slough, San Joaquin County: Units
of the Third Brigade, California Militia, September 1863.
Camp Kibbe, Sacramento, Sacramento County:
Units of the Fourth Brigade, California Militia, September 1863
The highlight of the camp was what is
called to day a "combined arms exercise" or what was
then called a "sham battle" at the adjacent Kennedy's
Farm in which the brigades infantry "battled" against
cavalry to include the formation of Napoleonic era, "regimental
squares". The camp was organized into three regiments of
infantry (1st, 2nd [Irish] and 4th), a battalion of cavalry and
a single battery of artillery. This organization shown in the
picture above with the artillery in the forground, then the three
regiments of infantry and finally the cavalry in the trees.
