World War I

Camp Lee

Near Petersburg, Prince George Co., Virginia


Camp Lee was constructed in 1917 to train the 80th Infantry Division (National Army), which was comprised of selective service inductees predominantly from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. It was the second largest cantonment in the United States, with a capacity of over 60,000 soldiers.

The 80th “Blue Ridge” Division occupied the camp from August 1917 – May 1918, when they shipped to France. It was then used as a replacement training camp, and subsequently, as a demobilization center.

Camp Lee was shut down in 1921, and all but one building (the White House, now Davis House) was torn down. The camp was reconstructed for World War II, and then retained as the permanent U. S. Army post Fort Lee. It remains operational today as the home of the Combined Arms Support Command.

Postcards

  • A view of the rifle range at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Troops on Review, Division Headquarters, Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Troops (80th Division) on Review at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • "Future Soldiers Arriving At Camp"
  • "Towards Base Hospital, Camp Lee, VA"
  • "Engineers at Work, Camp Lee, VA"
  • "The Engineers Building A Pontoon Bridge, Camp Lee, VA"
  • "Interior of the YMCA Auditorium, Camp Lee, VA"

Photos

Further Reading & Resources

Various Articles about Camp Lee by The Library of Virginia

U.S. Army Center of Military History

The Three Lives of Fort Lee, Virginia: World War I – By Dr. Kenneth Finlayson, Command Historian for the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee

Training for Trench Warfare – National Park Service

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  1. MY GREAT GRANFATHER SERVED 1907-1920 / WWI AND WAS AT CAMP LEE . WISH I HAD PICTURES OF HIM / HIS NAME FEDERICO ROMAGNANO

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