1917-1918: Establishment of Camp A. A. Humphreys

A recruiting poster utilized during World War I to encourage
men to enlist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The U.S. Army began utilizing the Belvoir peninsula as an engineer training facility in 1915. The facility evolved from the U.S. Army's Engineer School, which was established during the late nineteenth century in Fort Totten, New York. In 1901, the school relocated from Fort Totten to the Washington Barracks (now Fort McNair) in Washington D.C. Although the Washington Barracks provided ample classroom facilities, the installation lacked adequate field training areas and rifle ranges. As a result, the school was forced to seek additional training space.

In 1915, the Engineer School began conducting summer training exercises 'on a government-owned parcel in Virginia, located approximately 15 miles south of Washington along the Potomac River. The federal government had acquired the 1,500-acre tract on the Belvoir peninsula in 1910 from the Otterback family, for development of a children's reformatory.

However, local community groups and patriotic organizations such as the daughters of the American Revolution, opposed the establishment of a reformatory on ground so closely associated with George Washington and the other "founding fathers" of the country. Thus, the reformatory never materialized.

In 1912, Congress transferred the Otterback property to the War Department, following an Army request to use the land as a training site. This site was chosen by the Engineer School, its adequate water supply, and its challenging terrain. Here, engineer students conducted rifle practice and trained in building pontoon bridges.

America's entry into World war I in April 1917 led to the first wave of military construction at the Virginia training site. Construction of the temporary cantonment, named Camp A.A. Humphreys in honor of Civil War Commander and former Chief of Engineers, Andrew A. Humphreys, began in January 1918 under very difficult conditions. T he winter of 1918 is remembered for its extremely cold temperatures and unusually heavy snowfall. Despite these severe conditions, some 5,000 soldiers and 6,000 civilians cleared, surveyed, and constructed camp facilities in only 11 months. Much of the heavy labor was performed by segregated African-American service battalions. According to the first issue of the camp newspaper, The Castle, Camp A.A. Humphreys was "the wonder city in the midst of an unbroken wilderness of forest and swamp "where "the Washingtons and the Fairfaxes hunted the fox."

The development of Camp A.A. Humphreys transformed the agrarian neighborhood around Accotink and Woodlawn; one historian described the establishment of the camps "the second invasion by the armed forces" of the Woodlawn neighborhood. Many residents were displaced from their homes and farms, sometimes unwillingly. Many of the members of the Woodlawn Quaker Meeting who lost properties moved elsewhere, and as a result, the long-standing Quaker influence in the Woodlawn neighborhood declined. 

Through purchase or condemnation, the Army acquired additional acreage during 1917 and 1918. Fourteen farms on the peninsula between Accotink and Pohick Creeks were transformed into target ranges; two large parcels along Dogue Creek were taken through government condemnation proceedings; and the purchase of a 3,300 acre parcel that today comprises most of the North Post and Davison Army Airfield was in process by 1918.

Transportation systems and utilities also were improved. Previously, the most direct access to the Belvoir Peninsula had been by boat down the Potomac from Washington-hardly the most efficient way of supplying the camp with building materials and other necessities. Road systems therefore were improved: the unpaved Washington-Richmond Highway was surfaced in concrete within six months and a plank road was constructed that linked the camp to the Washington-Richmond Highway. Standard gauge and narrow gauge railways followed.  Building these transportation systems not only facilitated deliveries to the camp, but provided valuable engineer training experience for troops sent to the battle lines in Europe.

To accommodate the 20,000 men anticipated at the camp, plans called for the construction of 790 temporary wood-frame buildings. Quarters were filled as soon as they were completed. A consistent supply of fresh water was assured through the construction of a dam across Accotink Creek and a water filtration plant on the site of the former Accotink Mill. Within only four months of the start of construction, Camp A.A. Humphreys was in full swing. Several schools operated at Camp A.A. Humphreys during World War 1. 

One of the most vital components of the camp was the Engineer Replacement and Training Camp, where enlisted men were trained. Camp A.A. Humphreys was also active in training officers during the war. The Engineer Officers' Training Center operated at Camp Humphreys until February 1919. Its program was designed to select the most qualified enlisted men for training as junior officers. Another school located at Camp A.A. Humphreys was the Army Gas School, necessitated by the advent of chemical warfare. The school provided officer training in gas and flame thrower operations. The School of Military Mining taught trench warfare and field fortification techniques. The schools conducted most of their training on the South Post, although parts of the southwest peninsula were used for rifle ranges. By the end of the war, over 50,000 enlisted men and 4,900 officer candidates had been trained at Camp A.A. Humphreys.

Life at Camp A. A. Humphreys did not consist solely of military training. Considerable attention was paid to maintaining troop morale. At least six charitable service organizations-the YMCA, Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Red Cross, the YWCA, and the Library Board maintained a permanent presence on the installation. These groups offered social and recreational events for both enlisted men and officers.  World War I trainees could participate in interinstallation athletics; improve their basic reading and writing skills; learn to speak French; watch movies and vaudeville shows; visit Washington, D.C.; and attend dances.

At war's end in November 1918, Camp A.A. Humphreys became a demobilization center where troops were prepared for their return to civilian life. By the close of 1919, more than 14,000 men had been demobilized at Camp A.A. Humphreys. The camp retained a small garrison after the war. In 1919, the 5th Engineers from Camp A.A. Humphreys were called to Washington D. C. to help quell racially motivated civil disturbances.

[ Belvoir Enters the Twentieth Century | Inter-War Period: 1919-1939 ]