JPChurch
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2016
- Location
- Manassas VA
Interesting that Alger is mentioned on the memorial. There was camp named for him in and around Fairfax County VA outside Wash DC once war was declared against Spain. Many volunteer militia units were sent/stationed there, some being re-activated National Guard regiments. My great-great uncle was camped there briefly before it departed for Florida and eventually to Cuba at Santiago. He was in the First District of Columbia Volunteers, company C. Good thing he didn't stay at Camp Alger for long. Most of the camp suffered from dysentery due to poor sanitary engineering and fouled water/rotten foodstuffs; disease became rampant within a month. What made things worse for the troops stationed there was that the women brought out to the camp from the D.C. brothels were carriers of all kinds of nasty venereal diseases. Enlisted men and officers both suffered from all of the above.
My relative was lucky to avoid all of that at Camp Alger, but like so many others got malaria in Cuba. He was sick for years with it. He finally recovered, got a law degree and was practicing law in D.C. He re-enlisted in 1917 at Ft. Meyer when Wilson declared war on the Central powers. He served as major in rank with the 80th Division AEF as judge advocate. Served in France during all three phases of the Argonne offensive. Remained over there after the Armistice as part of the occupational forces. He met a young French girl 20 years younger than him and married her and brought her home here.....that was a happy ending for him....
My relative was lucky to avoid all of that at Camp Alger, but like so many others got malaria in Cuba. He was sick for years with it. He finally recovered, got a law degree and was practicing law in D.C. He re-enlisted in 1917 at Ft. Meyer when Wilson declared war on the Central powers. He served as major in rank with the 80th Division AEF as judge advocate. Served in France during all three phases of the Argonne offensive. Remained over there after the Armistice as part of the occupational forces. He met a young French girl 20 years younger than him and married her and brought her home here.....that was a happy ending for him....