Camp Merritt, California was a U.S.

military camp A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent military base, for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large cam ...

used for the quartering and preparation of American troops destined for the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. Formerly a racetrack, it was named for General

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he becam ...

, the commanding general of the U.S. Voluntary Army forces and the Eighth Army Corps. The camp was located in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in an area approximately bounded by what is now Point Lobos Avenue (Geary), Fulton Street, First (Arguello) Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

Commissioning

Camp Merritt was established on May 29, 1898, pursuant to General Order 7 of the U.S. Expeditionary Forces. General

Elwell Stephen Otis Elwell Stephen Otis (March 25, 1838 – October 21, 1909) was a United States Army general who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, the Philippines late in the Spanish–American War and during the Philippine–American War. Biography ...

, commanding general of the U.S. Volunteer Army, established the headquarters for the Philippine Islands Expeditionary Forces at the southwest corner of the camp on slightly elevated ground at Fulton Street and 4th Avenue.

Units processed through Camp Merritt

Confirmed Units processed through Camp Merritt: * 1st Nebraska Volunteer Infantry (Col. John P. Bratt commanding) (May 19, 1898 – June 15, 1898) * 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (Col. A. L. Hawkins commanding) (May 25, 1898 – June 14, 1898 (departed for Philippines as part of Second Expeditionary Force)) * 18th U.S. Infantry, 1st Battalion (Col. C. M. Bailey commanding) (May 29, 1898 – June 14, 1898 (departed for Philippines as part of Second Expeditionary Force)) * 13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry (? – June 26, 1898) * 20th Kansas Volunteer Infantry (May 20, 1898 – August 5, 1898 (transferred to Camp Michigan)) * 1st Colorado Volunteer Infantry (Col. Irving Hale) * Utah Volunteer Artillery, Light Battery A (Capt. R. W. Young) * Utah Volunteer Artillery, Light Battery B (Capt. F. A. Grant) * 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry (Col. William Crawford Smith commanding) (Arrived June 1898 and quickly moved to Camp Merriam) *1st Montana Volunteer Infantry (Col. Harry C. Kessler commanding) (Arrived May 28, 1898 - Departed on USS Pennsylvania 19 July 1898)

Decommissioning

The camp was abandoned about August 27, 1898 when the remaining troops were moved to Camps Merriam and Miller a bit north at

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

. Camp Merritt existed only long enough for the fleet to be assembled for the 18,000 troops destined for the Philippines to be sent off. Problems with disease, mostly measles and typhoid, also accelerated its closing.

References

{{Reflist Former installations of the United States Army Forts in California 19th century in San Francisco Spanish–American War Philippine–American War