Fort McClellan (1)
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Fort McClellan (1) (1917-1999, 1999-Present) - First established as a U.S. Army World War I National Guard Mobilization and Training Camp in 1917 near Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama. Named Camp McClellan in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917, after Major General George B. McClellan (Cullum 1273), General in Chief, U.S. Army (1861-1862). Became a permanent post and was renamed Fort McClellan on 1 Jul 1929. Closed in 1999 per the 1995 BRAC.
World War I (1817-1918) Camp McClellan was one of sixteen U.S. Army National Guard Mobilization and Training Camps established in 1917 to train and integrate National Guard units for service in a U.S. Army division. Camp McClellan was established on 18 July 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Major L. C. Dulin on a site of about 18,952 acres. The camp was to have a capacity of about 59,000 officers and enlisted men that would become the 29th U.S. Infantry Division. The camp was completed in November 1917 at a cost of $ 4,270,516.10. The first commander of the camp was Major General Charles G. Morton (Cullum 2988), who formed the 29th U.S. Infantry Division and began troop training. The 29th organized on 25 Aug 1917 and departed for France on June 1918. The division suffered 6,226 casualties including 940 killed. The 29th returned to the U.S. and was demobilized in June 1919. At the end of the war, the camp became a demobilization center until it was abandoned in 1919. The camp continued to serve the National Guard and was updated in 1926. In 1929 the camp became a permanent installation and was designated Fort McClellan on 1 Jul 1929. In 1933, as the depression took hold the Fort was updated by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) with roads, an airfield, and other permanent buildings. In 1940 the post was expanded like many other posts in anticipation of World War II.
World War II (1941-1945) With the start of World War II, the post expanded again, adding land area that gave the post a total of 42,000 acres and adding facilities for 50,000 military personnel. At the peak, there were 2,170 officers and 42,126 enlisted personnel at the fort. A prisoner of war (POW) camp was built to accommodate about 3,000 captured prisoners. Training continued through the end of the war but tapered off rapidly after the Japanese surrender and the post was put in inactive status on 30 Jun 1947.
Cold War (1947–1991)Fort McClellan was reactivated in 1951 and began training for chemical warfare units, military police units and the Women's Army Corps. The 1995 (BRAC) Commission voted to close Fort McClellan and it officially closed in 1999. Parts of the post are used by the Alabama National Guard and other Federal Agencies. Current StatusNow home to the 167th Theater Sustainment Command, Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama.
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Visited: 23 Apr 2016
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