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Historic California Posts: Hammond General Hospital Page 1 of 3 California State Military Department The California State Military Museum Preserving California's Military Heritage _ Historic California Posts Hammond General Hospital (Vernalis Reconditioning Center, Vernalis Branch Prisoner of War Camp) On 2 March 1942, the initial acreage required for the establishment of Hammond General Hospital was acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) by fee purchase from the County of Stanislaus with an additional 40 acres acquired on 16 June 1942 by condemnation proceedings against the Modesto Irrigation District. Almost immediately after acquiring the first parcel of land, the USACE began building the 2,540 bed general hospital using standard Quartermaster Corps (who had the U.S. Army's general construction mission prior to 4 December 1941) and USACE 700-, 800-, and 1100-series plans for wood framed wards, clinics, barracks, and support buildings. On the eastern portion of the hospital, a cantonment area using mostly TOS-series buildings was constructed for hospital patient and garrison overflow as well as for Army Ground Forces units training at the hospital. Hammond General Hospital specialized in neurology, general and orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery and psychiatry. On 6 March 1943, the hospital was designated as one of five thoracic surgery centers, and the only one on the West Coast. The center remained at Hammond General Hospital until August 1944 when it was transferred to Baxter General Hospital in Spokane, Washington. Hammond General Hospital also maintained six "detention wards" for the mentally ill and a prison ward, all of which were surrounded by security fencing. The hospital was named in honor of Brigadier General William Alexander Hammond (1828- 1900), who was appointed as the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Hammond energetically began reforming the Medical Department. He eliminated much of the red tape of the prewar service, created the general hospital service, saw that competent medical men were appointed to high-level positions, provided assistance and medical information to surgeons in the field, and oversaw the establishment of an efficient ambulance corps. Hammond also created two large government operated drug laboratories to produce high quality medicines for the army. Hammond could be autocratic and tactless, and he clashed with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. As a result, Stanton had him court- martialed on a petty charge and dismissed from the army in August 1864. After the Civil War, Hammond was the primary impetus behind the founding of the American Neurological Association and his signature was the first listed on the original membership invitation letter of 1874. Hammond's court-martial was overturned in 1878 by an act of Congress, and he was restored to the rank of brigadier general. He was placed on the retired list the following year and continued his efforts to advance the field of neurology. In addition to the hospital's permanent garrison, Service Command Unit (SCU) 1975, at least two Army Ground Forces units, the 47th and 77th Field Hospitals, were stationed at Hammond file://C:\Documents and Settings\Steve\Desktop\Historic California Posts Hammond Gener... 2/17/2006