Fort Jackson (4)

Fort Jackson (4) (1917-Present) - A U.S. Army post established as Camp Jackson (1) in 1917 during World War I in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina. Named for Andrew Jackson seventh President of the United States and U.S. Army Major General. Renamed Fort Jackson in 1940. Active military Installation. Fort Jackson Museum. Fort Jackson Visitor Center. Fort Jackson Headquarters World War I (1917-1918) One of sixteen U.S. Army National Army Mobilization and Training Camps established on 18 Jul 1917 to train and integrate National Army units for service in a U.S. Army division. Camp Jackson was established in July 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Major William Couper. The camp was to have a capacity of about 54,000 officers and enlisted men that would become the 81st U.S. Infantry Division. The camp was mostly completed in October 1917 at an eventual cost of $ 12,600,000. The first commander of the camp was Brigadier General Charles H. Barth who formed the 81st U.S. Infantry Division and trained the troops. The 81st arrived in September 1917 and departed for France on 15 Aug 1918. The 81st distinguished itself in combat in France suffering 250 killed and 801 wounded. The 81st returned to the U.S. via Hoboken Port of Embarkation and was demobilized in June 1919. The camp was closed at the end of the war and abandoned 25 Apr 1922 by the U.S. Army. The camp then served as a South Carolina National Guard training area until it was again federalized before the start of World War II. The post was renamed Fort Jackson in 1940. World War II (1941-1945) During World War II some 500,000 troops in nine different divisions were trained at the post. Post World War II Fort Jackson served as a training ground for troops during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan. Current Status Active military installation in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina. Provides U.S. Army Basic Military Training. The fort includes more than 52,000 acres, with more than 100 ranges and field training sites and 1,160 buildings. More than 3,500 active duty Soldiers and their 12,000 family members are assigned to the installation and make this area their home. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Fort Jackson, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina. Maps & Images Lat: 34.006708 Long: -80.947266 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 469' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 714 Ayres, Leonard Porter, The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary, U.S. War Department, 2nd Ed, 1919, 147 pages Rinaldi, Richard A., The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle, Tiger Lily Publications LLC, 2004, 244 pages Brief Histories of Divisions, U.S. Army: 1917-1918, U.S.A. General Staff, June 1921, 92 pages USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2512203 Links: North American Forts - Fort Jackson Wikipedia - Fort Jackson U.S. Army - Fort Jackson U.S. Army - Camp Jackson WWI New River Notes - World War I Forces Visited: 8 May 2013