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Fort McClellan is located in Anniston AL and was built to help Army activities. It was home to a couple of different establishments: Military Police Corps and Chemical Corps. During World War Two, it was considered one of the largest US Army Installations training nearly half-million troops. For McClellan was first named as Camp Shipp in 1898 and later changed into Camp McClellan.
History
Camp McClellan (Camp Shipp) dates back to the Spanish-American War with around 10,000 troops there of the 3rd Alabama Volunteer Infantry. Around World War 1, Camp McClellan was established on July 18, 1917 after Major General George B. McClellan who was the Chief of the United States Army in 1861-1862. The camp’s goal was to quickly train men for the war with the 1,500 buildings built for the troops to train giving the camp 3 whole miles on each side for training. When the war ended, Camp McClellan was put on ‘caretaker status’ meaning used for special training in the Army’s 9th Corp Area. With help from Franklin D. Roosevelt, a little less than 2 million dollars was donated to help upgrade Camp McClellan, later changing the name to Fort McClellan. When World War 2 approached, the 27th Infantry Division of the NY Nation Guard was sent to Fort McClellan leaving most troops to live in tents. In the early 1940’s, around $6.5 Million in Federal funding was given to the fort to do some major upgrades again giving the fort around 22,000 acreages for motor use. The Fort did become a short-term home for captured enemy solider. After WW2, the installation was put on an inactive status. Fort McClellan was home for an average of 15,000 people and employed about 1,500 civilians. The base was closed in 1995 after the Base Realignment and closure voted to close it down. As of today, the fort is currently occupied by the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge.
