Camp Alger
Camp Alger was an American army camp built near Falls Church, Virginia, for the Spanish–American War. It opened on May 13, 1898, and was first called Camp Harries in honor of George H. Harries, but on May 23 it was renamed Camp Alger to honor Secretary of War Russell A. Alger.
The camp was located on a 1,400-acre farm called Woodburn Manor, about 1.5 miles from Dunn Loring, 7 miles from Washington, D.C., and 5 miles from Fort Myer. The land was rolling, partly wooded, with clearings and good drainage; the soil was clay and sand and fairly hard for water to move through. To prepare for the troops, the railroad at Dunn Loring added extra sidings for traffic.
The Second Army Corps was formed on May 7, with Maj. Gen. William M. Graham in command. Troops began arriving May 18, and by May 31 the camp held 18,309 officers and men. By June 30 there were about 23,511, and by July 31 around 22,180. In total, about 31,195 soldiers went to Camp Alger. Duffield’s brigade left for Cuba on June 15, and Garretson’s brigade on July 5 to reinforce Gen. Shafter’s army in Santiago. The 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed “McKinley’s Own,” came to Camp Alger because some of its companies were from Canton, Ohio, President McKinley’s hometown. The Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry Battalion, an African American regiment, also trained there.
President McKinley and his Cabinet visited Camp Alger on May 28, 1898, and two short films were made of the visit. Water was scarce and not suitable for bathing; wells were drilled, and by June 25 about forty were in use. Bathing facilities were limited, so soldiers often used the Potomac River, seven miles away. Troops camped both in open ground and in woods. Sanitation and discipline were emphasized, with proper disposal of refuse and enforcement of regulations. Rations were plentiful and good, and field bakeries produced good bread at Camp Alger and at Dunn Loring beginning August 2.
In August, part of the corps moved to Thoroughfare Gap, and in September the rest were sent to Camp Meade in Pennsylvania. Some sick soldiers stayed in hospital tents through October. The typhoid fever outbreak from July to November 1898 caused additional deaths—71 at Camp Alger and 34 at Thoroughfare Gap—but the health conditions were generally considered not unusually bad for the time.
After the camp closed, no buildings remained. It was sold to William Campbell and was known as Camp Alger Farm or Camp Alger Tract. In 1907 the War Department considered buying the site back for a rifle range but chose Petersburg instead. The land changed hands several times in the 1920s and was developed in the 1940s and 1950s.
Two historical markers remain: one on Arlington Boulevard near Fenwick Street in Falls Church near the old headquarters, and another on Sandburg Street in Dunn Loring. Camp Alger Avenue in West Falls Church also honors the camp, and Sandburg Street commemorates Carl Sandburg, who was briefly stationed there.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:25 (CET).