J. Lancaster Brent

Candidate Biography:

Joseph Lancaster Brent
Born: November 30, 1826 in Charles County, Maryland
Married: Rosella Kenner [daughter of Duncan Kenner] (in 1870)
Children: Nanine Brent and Duncan Kenner Brent
Military Service: Confederate Army (Civil War)
Died: November 27, 1905 in Baltimore, Maryland

1863: As a Confederate Colonel, Brent led two boats (the Webb, a former tugboat; and the CSS Queen of the West, a recently captured gunboat) in the seizure of the USS Indianola (an ironclad).
1865: Confederate Brigadier General in command of Cavalry forces in the District of West Louisiana.
1879: Representative, Louisiana State Legislature
1886-1888: Representative, Louisiana State Legislature

• Brent was the only California citizen to become a Confederate General. [Source: California's Confederate Militia by Gene C. Armistead]
• High Rank: Major General (Confederate States Army)
• LEGAL TROUBLES: On November 15, 1861, Brent was arrested with William M. Gwin and Calhoun Benham by U. S. Army Brig. General E. V. Sumner for "disloyal utterances" against the United States. They were detained at Fort Lafayette for "two or three weeks, when they were paroled and permitted to go to Washington."

Source: "Californians in the Rebels Ranks", The Los Angeles Star. December 19, 1862. Transcribed by Dee Sardoch.
Source: California's Confederate Militia: The Los Angeles Mounted Rifles by Gene C. Armistead