California State Military
Department
- The California
State Military Museum
- Preserving California's
Military Heritage
- Historic California
Posts:
- Camp Low
-
- During the last days of the Civil War
a gang of white marauders, led by two men named Henry and Mason,
terrorized Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, robbing and murdering
ranchers at will. The Army was determined to provide protection
for the citizens by establishing a military post somewhere in
Monterey County. The town of San Juan was selected as the post.
The National Hotel was rented by the government to be used as
a barracks and military supplies were stocked. The post was named
Camp Low in honor of then California's executive officer. In
December 1864 three companies, two infantry and one cavalry,
under the command of Major J. S. Ceremony, marched into town
and bivouacked on the plaza. In April 1865, a squad of cavalry
came upon Henry and Mason in the mountains; shots were exchanged,
but the outlaws escaped after a running fight. Sometime in May,
Ceremony and his men were ordered to Arizona to fight the Indians
there, thus terminating Camp Low. The two outlaw leaders were
subsequently tracked to Angeles County by a company of California
Volunteers and killed while resisting arrest.
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