Camp Alger (2)
Camp Alger (2) (1898-1898) - A Spanish American War 2nd Corps training Camp established in 1898 near Dunn Loring, Fairfax County, Virginia. Named Camp Alger after Russell A. Alger, Governor of Michigan (1885-1887), U.S. Secretary of War (1897-1899) and later U.S. Senator from Michigan (1902-1907). The Camp was abandoned in 1898. Also known as Camp Russell A. Alger.
History of Camp Alger
Established in May 1898 as a training camp for units of the 2nd Corps at the beginning of the Spanish American War. The camp site had been a 1,400 acre farm called Woodburn Manor with no improvements. The camp was hurridly built and lacked an adequate water supply and basic sanitation needs when large numbers of troops started to arrive. Camp officers struggled to get enough wells dug to supply the drinking water, bathing water, cooking water and sanitary water needs of the almost 23,000 men sent to the camp. In the end some 40 wells were dug before an adequate supply was established. The sanitary facilities were not complete when troops began to arrive and the troops used the nearby woods as a latrine. The failure to establish sanitary facilities and discipline on arrival inevidibly led to a high incidence of disease and finally to the abandonment of the camp in early August when an epidemic of typhoid fever hit the camp. The troops were moved to Camp George G. Meade in Pennsylvania and the camp was abandoned. The sale of the land began in September 1898.
Current Status
Marker only, no remains, Dunn Loring, Fairfax County, Virginia.
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Location: Dunn Loring, Fairfax County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.86589696 Long: -77.20300913 |
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 802
Links:
- North American Forts - Camp Alger
- Wikipedia - Camp Alger
- U.S. Gen Net - Camp Black
- Historic Marker Database - Camp Alger
- New York Times - Camp AlgerWater Supply
- New York Times - Camp Alger Abandoned
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