Camp George Meade

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Camp George Meade

Camp George G. Meade was a U.S. military camp near Middletown, Pennsylvania, set up during the Spanish–American War. It was named after Civil War general George Gordon Meade.

History
- The camp was established on August 24, 1898. About 22,000 soldiers of the Second Army Corps, led by Major General William M. Graham, moved there from Camp Alger to escape a typhoid fever outbreak.
- President William McKinley visited on August 27, 1898.
- In early November, an inspection found the camp spacious and well laid out. Water came from artesian wells and was piped to all units; hospitals were well equipped; bathing facilities were ample; sanitation was high. The camp was considered to be in good condition overall.
- By November, the camp was discontinued and the troops were distributed to other camps in the South. By October 11, 64 deaths had occurred at Camp Meade.
- Camp Meade was abandoned around November 17, 1898.
- Part of the camp was reopened in April 1899 for the muster-out of several volunteer units (2nd, 4th, 5th, and 9th U.S. Volunteer Infantry) through June 1899. Some new volunteer regiments for the Philippine–American War also gathered there from July to November 1899, using the Mt. Gretna rifle range.

Namesake
- The camp was named for George Gordon Meade (1815–1872), a career U.S. Army officer and Civil War general.

Location
- The camp lay south of Harrisburg and just west of Middletown.
- It sits along the east–west Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) and a north–south route from Highway 283 to the Harrisburg International Airport. The site is north of the airport, between Middletown and Highspire.
- The land rises to the north from the Susquehanna River. Much of the northern area is still semi-rural, while many residential areas are south of Highway 283.
- Rosedale Road runs northwest–southwest across the site. The Penn State Harrisburg Campus sits on the southern edge, and a historic marker is near Middletown High School on North Union Street.

Camp Conewago
- The 203rd New York U.S. Volunteer Infantry was moved to a quarantine camp at Conewago, Pennsylvania, on October 2, 1898, because of a high rate of typhoid at Camp Meade.
- They stayed there until November 12, 1898, when they left for Camp Wetherill in Greenville, South Carolina.
- The Conewago camp is near the Conewago railroad station and is sometimes called Camp Conewago.