Camp Carleton was the largest of several military camps to be maintained at various times in the vicinity of

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...

. It was established in the fall of 1861 by Captain William A. McCleave and a detachment of the

1st California Cavalry The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first formed of five companies as 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry between August and October 31, ...

to check any successionest activities in

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

. After the camp was flooded in the

Great Flood of 1862 The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of Oregon, Nevada, and California, occurring from December 1861 to January 1862. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snows in the very high elevations that began in ...

, the camp's garrison was moved to El Monte, where they established New Camp Carleton.The California State Military Museum, Historic California Posts: Camp Carleton (Camp Banning, Camp Prentiss, New Camp Carleton)
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References

Camp Carleton El Monte, California 1861 establishments in California {{AmericanCivilWar-stub