Port of Embarkation Hoboken (1917-1918) with Camp Merritt marked

Camp Merritt was a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

in Dumont and

Cresskill Cresskill is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,573,Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, that was activated for use in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It had a capacity for 38,000 transient troops and was one of three camps directly under the control of the

New York Port of Embarkation The New York Port of Embarkation (NYPOE) was a United States Army command responsible for the movement of troops and supplies from the United States to overseas commands. The command had facilities in New York and New Jersey, roughly covering the ...

. Two routes were used to transport troops, the first being local railroads which would carry the men South. The alternate route involved marching in contingents of two to three thousand men to the North-East and descending the Palisades. These men marched for an hour to board ferryboats at Old Closter Dock, Alpine Landing that took them to the piers at

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

to board troop transports for Europe. Contingents would leave the camp for the landing at half hour intervals to board the ferries for the two hour trip to the embarkation piers where several transports might be loading simultaneously. There they would be joined by troops from

Camp Mills Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September ...

and

Camp Upton Camp Upton was a port of embarkation of the United States Army during World War I. During World War II it was used to intern enemy aliens. It was located in Yaphank, New York in Suffolk County on Long Island, on the present-day location of Bro ...

arriving by train at a terminal on Long Island for final transport by ferry to the embarkation piers. Approximately four million troops were sent to the Western Front during World War I, about one million of them passed through Camp Merritt. Camp Merritt was decommissioned in 1919.Camp Merritt
by Kevin Wright, retrieved December 19, 2005.

Origin of the camp

From Camp Tenafly to Camp Merritt

Camp Merritt was originally named Camp Tenafly. The camp was first named Camp Tenafly because all previous communication and negotiation concerning the building of the military post were completed in the town of

Tenafly, New Jersey Tenafly () is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the borough had a population of 15,409,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 The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier ...

. General Merritt from New York State dedicated most of his life to the armed services. General Merritt served the United States throughout the Civil War, Indian campaigns, and the Spanish War. He participated in several major battles including Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Yellow Tavern, Battle of Hall's Shop, Battle of Winchester, and Five Fork's. At the age of 27 he was made a full Major General of volunteers. After making his way through the ranks and receiving high positions including Superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point, Governor General of the Philippines, and other prestigious positions. Wesley retired from his long reign in the military in 1900. Ten years later General Merritt died and was buried at West Point with full military honors.

Selection of the site

The United States army needed a location to assemble and for the deployment of troops to the Western Front during World War I. In 1917, Brigadier-General William Wright, Commanding General of the New York Port of Embarkation, chose the location in Bergen County on Knickerbocker road and Grant Avenue. Camp Merritt was strategically situated approximately ten miles from New York City. The camp was located between Cresskill and Dumont, New Jersey. The camp was conveniently located between the Erie Railroad in Cresskill and the West Shore Railroad in Dumont.Bartholf, Howard E. “Camp Merritt, New Jersey," On Point: The Journal of Army History, 2008 volume 14, number 2, page 45. Some of the resourceful aspects of the area include the easy method of the sewerage, water supply, lighting, and railroad connections. The owners of the property on the site agreed to lease their property to the government on terms which the government deemed reasonable. The location of Camp Merritt was ideal because of the easy access to Hoboken from where the soldiers would be embarking on the transports. Troops were transported to Hoboken by ferryboat from Alpine Landing, over an hour's march from the camp, where contingents of 2,000-3,000 men would assemble to board the ferry to the embarkation piers from which they would board the transports for Europe.http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bcparks/CsCampMerritt.aspx , Camp Merritt Memorial, accessed November 4, 2010.

Construction of the camp

Construction of Camp Merritt began on August 20, 1917. The original plans called for seven regiments of infantry, six warehouses, miscellaneous buildings, and a post hospital with a capacity of five hundred beds. The plans were authorized four months later on December 20, 1917. The selected contractors for the job were MacArthur Brothers Company of engineers and contractors of New York. There were many local carpenters, electricians, and tradesmen who were hired to work on the camp as well. The camp cost about $11 million to build. Camp Merritt was 770 acres in size, and had a capacity of 42,000 men. There were approximately 1,300 buildings on the site.

Buildings in the camp

On the 770 acres camp there were a total of 1,302 buildings. The soldier's barracks totaled 611 two-story buildings in which 60 men could reside in. Camp Merritt had 165 mess halls, 40 military officer’ quarters, 27 administration buildings, 4 fire stations, 93 hospital buildings, and many more. Also on the camp were four

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

buildings and American Red Cross buildings. In the spring of 1918 the Liberty Theatre opened on the camp for the entertainment of the soldiers while staying at Merritt. In addition, Merritt Hall the large soldier's club on the camp opened on January 30, 1918. Major General David C. Shanks called Merritt Hall “the finest soldiers club in America.”

The post hospital

On January 9, 1918 the post hospital was opened. The post hospital had a staff of about 300 nurses who treated over 55,000 soldiers. The nurses and doctors treated various cases including anthrax, pneumonia, measles, scarlet fever, mumps, and particularly the influenza virus. In the fall of 1918 the influenza epidemic reached Camp Merritt and caused devastation.

The 1918 influenza pandemic

The first person in New Jersey to be diagnosed with influenza was a soldier at Fort Dix. From Fort Dix, the disease spread across the state. By the end of the 1919 wave of influenza approximately 675,000 Americans were dead due to the disease. The

influenza pandemic An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last ...

at Camp Merritt began in September 1918. On September 19 fifty-eight soldiers were admitted to the post hospital due to influenza. Three weeks later, there were approximately 1,000 cases of influenza at Camp Merritt. In addition, there were already 265 deaths. Owing to the increasing number of cases some soldiers were sent to local hospitals. Many soldiers became sick during the time they left camp as they prepared to go to Europe.Bartholf, Howard E. "Camp Merritt, New Jersey," On Point: The Journal of Army History, 2008 volume 14, number 2, page 46.

Units

*Hoboken Casual Company (often shortened to Hob Cas Co). A series of numbered companies formed at Camp Merritt.

The closing of the camp

Camp Merritt officially closed in January 1920. The last troops to arrive to Camp Merritt from overseas while it was still active were on January 26, 1920. Following, the decision to close the camp the U.S. military ordered the camp to be dismantled. The remainder of troops was then sent to Fort Dix. The bidding process of Camp Merritt was opened at Washington, D.C. on December 22, 1919. There were many bids from various companies and corporations. The entire camp was eventually sold to the Harris Brothers Company of Chicago for $552, 524.

Fire in the camp

After Camp Merritt was dismantled for almost a year the camp underwent a series of three devastating fires. The reason for the three fires are still undetermined although there were various rumors and speculations to how they were started. The fire started in Block 17 and destroyed over 150 buildings in that particular area. Over eighteen fire companies attended to the fire including three from New York City. There were two reports of dynamite explosion because there were dynamite stored for the use in the wrecking of the camp. There were no reported injuries due to the fire, but what was left of the Camp was destroyed.Tiedman, Howard and Zimmer, William. "Camp Merritt: The Most Used, The Least Remembered". VFW Post 3286, Cresskill, New Jersey page 59.

Camp Merritt Memorial Monument

To honor those who passed through Camp Merritt, a monument was erected at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Knickerbocker Road at the border of

Cresskill Cresskill is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,573,Dumont. The tall granite obelisk, modeled after the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and th ...

is inscribed with the names of the 578 people who died at the camp during the war due to the worldwide

influenza epidemic of 1918 The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. Robert Ingersoll Aitken sculpted the relief sculpture of a helmeted soldier on the one side of the base of the monument.Bartholf, Howard E. “Camp Merritt, New Jersey," On Point: The Journal of Army History, 2008 volume 14, number 2, page 47. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1924, with General John J. Pershing giving the dedication address to a crowd estimated at 20,000 people.

References

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External links

The March of the ForgottenThe Monument in Cresskill
{{coord, 40.9413, -73.9768, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title 1917 establishments in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Bergen County, New Jersey Cresskill, New Jersey Dumont, New Jersey History of New Jersey Military installations in New Jersey Monuments and memorials in New Jersey