On this day in 1917, Congress decided to locate the Infantry School of Arms in Columbus. City officials were given two weeks to find adequate land and prepare it for the arrival of troops. About 84 acres along the Macon Road were chosen, and an agent offered the owner one thousand dollars for a six-month lease. The deal went down in one day. It is said the owner moved his family off the property by sunset, leaving behind a crop of sweet potatoes and cotton. When the first troops arrived on October 4, the land had been cleared and covered with buildings, including 4 warehouses, 5 mess halls, 8 latrines, 8 baths, a garage, an infirmary, 2 stables, a fenced corral, 65 tents for officers and 300 for enlisted troops, and 2 miles of gravel road. On October 5, Col. Henry Eames was named commandant, and the next day, the camp was named Benning. Today there stands a historical marker just two blocks south of Macon Road to mark the site of the original Camp Benning.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:15:01 +0000
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