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Brent (Joseph Lancaster) Papers
mssBT
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Joseph Lancaster Brent papers
Creator:
Brent, Joseph Lancaster,
1826-1905
Identifier/Call Number: mssBT
Physical Description:
10.5 Linear Feet
(9 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1850-1939
Abstract: A collection of material related to the
personal and professional life of Joseph Lancaster Brent, American lawyer, politician, and
soldier.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Joseph Lancaster Brent papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of Duncan Kenner Brent, June 1966, March 1969, December 1974.
Joseph Lancaster Brent (1826-1905) was born in Maryland; he studied law and became an
attorney in Louisiana, then moved to San Francisco in 1851 before finally settling in Los
Angeles. Brent was twice elected to the California State Legislature from 1856 to 1860; he
was also a Los Angeles city councilman from 1851 to 1852, city attorney from 1852 to 1854,
and superintendent of schools from 1853 to 1854. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Brent
joined the Confederate Army and served under John Bankhead Magruder in the 1862 Peninsular
Campaign; he was then assigned to Richard Taylor's district of Western Louisiana. In
mid-February of 1863 he led an expedition up the Mississippi River that resulted in the
capture of the Union ironclad steamer "Indianola." The following year he was appointed
brigadier general and commanded Brent's Cavalry Brigade until the end of the war. After the
war Brent practiced law in Maryland until he married Frances Rosella Kenner, daughter of
Louisiana sugar planter and U.S. Congressman Duncan Farrar Kenner; after their marriage, he
managed his father-in-law's sugar plantations in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Brent returned
to Baltimore in 1889 and spent the last years of his life practicing law and writing essays
about foreign affairs, the United States economy, and a memoir of the Civil War.
A collection of 460 items from 1850 to 1936, which consists of letters, documents, and
manuscripts related to the life and activities of Joseph Lancaster Brent. Subject matter
includes Brent's experiences and life in Southern California from 1850 to 1861; social and
business affairs in California, Louisiana, and Maryland; the Civil War and the Confederate
war effort in particular; the capture of the U.S. ironclad, "Indianola;" Brent's military
promotions; United States foreign affairs, national defense, and economy. Significant
persons represented in the collection include: Ignacio Del Valle, Winfield Scott Hancock,
John Bankhead Magruder, Ygnacio Sepulveda, Richard Taylor, and Benjamin Davis Wilson.
Processed by Huntington Library staff, 1971-1974. Finding aid encoded by Charla M.
DelaCuadra in July 2020.
Organized in the following series: 1. Correspondence and manuscripts; 2. Newspaper
clippings; 3. Printed matter; 4. Addenda.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssBT 1-300.
The Huntington has two images of Joseph L. Brent in the Photo Archive: a daguerreotype
(photDAG 156) and an ambrotype (photDAG 157).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
International relations -- United States
Lawyers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Legislators -- California -- Archives
Peninsular Campaign, 1862
Sugar trade -- Louisiana -- Ascension Parish -- History -- 19th century
-- Sources
California -- Description and travel
California -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
California -- Politics and Government -- 19th century
Louisiana -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
United States -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865 -- Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Manuscripts -- United States
Del Valle, Ignacio
Hancock, Winfield Scott,
1824-1886
Magruder, John Bankhead,
1807-1871
Sepulveda, Ygnacio
Taylor, Richard,
1826-1879
Wilson, Benjamin Davis,
1811-1878
Confederate States of America. Army --
Louisiana
Confederate States of America. Army. Louisiana Cavalry. Brent's
Brigade (1864-1865)
Confederate States of America. Army. District of Western
Louisiana.
Confederate States of America. Army --
Officers -- Archives
Indianola
(Ironclad)