Camp George Meade

Camp George G. Meade in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the US Volunteers during the Spanish American War.

History

This was the second camp of the Second Corps. The Second Corps was relocated from Camp Alger to Camp Meade in an attempt to outrun the typhoid fever epidemic at Camp Alger. Camp Meade was established about August 15, 1898 and abandoned about November 17, 1898. Troops at the camp were mustered out or sent south for the winter. Part of the camp was reopened in April, 1899 for the muster out of a number of volunteer units (2nd, 4th, 5th and 9th U.S. Vol. Inf.) up through June, 1899. In addition, several of the new volunteer regiments authorized by Congress in 1899 for the Philippine insurrection assembled there during July to November, 1899. The Mt. Gretna rifle range was used by these regiments. The 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Second Corps was relocated to Camp Fornance.

Namesake

Named after Civil War General Meade.

Location

The camp was located south of Harrisburg and just west of Middletown. The site is bisected by the east-west Pennsylvania turnpike (76) east-west State Highway 283 and the north-south extension from State Highway 283 to the Harrisburg International Airport. The site is north of the airport in between Middletown and Highspire. The land rises to the north from the Susquehanna River. Much of the area in the north central part of the camp is still semi-rural. Residential areas cover many of the sites south of State Highway 283. Rosedale Road cuts across the site diagonally northwest-southwest. The Penn State University Harrisburg Campus is at the south side of the site and a number of the 1898 camp sites are located on the campus. There is a historical marker on the west side of Pennsylvania Highway 441 (Union Street) at the Middletown Area High School (1155 North Union Street).

Camp Conewago

The 203rd Regiment of the New York U.S. Volunteer Infantry was moved to a quarantine camp at Conewago, Pennsylvania on October 2, 1898 because of the high incidence of typhoid in its ranks at Camp Meade. Conewago is a small town southeast of Middletown. The regiment remained there until it left for Camp Wetherill on November 12, 1898. This camp is sometimes referred to as Camp Conewago. The camp site was near the Conewago railroad station.

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