Cantonment Oglethorpe

**Cantonment Oglethorpe** was a United States Army base near Savannah, Georgia from 1826 to 1835. The base was built on 28 acres of farmland about half a mile south of the city. About 100 soldiers and their families lived there.

The base became known because many people died from malaria. Between 1826 and 1828, over 100 soldiers, women, and children died from the disease. The Army tried different ways to keep soldiers healthy. They moved soldiers to other places during the summer when disease was worst. In 1835, the Army built new barracks inside the city and closed Cantonment Oglethorpe.

In 1853, the United States government gave the land to the City of Savannah. Part of the old base is now in Forsyth Park. The rest became streets and houses in Savannah's Victorian Historic District.

### Why the base was built

The city of Savannah asked the federal government to send soldiers to the city. All Army troops had left Savannah in 1824. City leaders wanted soldiers nearby to help keep order. At this time, slavery was common in Georgia. White people in Savannah were worried about slave rebellions. They thought having soldiers nearby would help prevent problems.

In spring 1826, two groups of soldiers arrived in Savannah on a ship called the Heroine. The Army bought 28 acres of farmland south of the city for $800. The land was called Farm Lot 1. The soldiers built wooden buildings for barracks, officers' houses, a hospital, and storerooms.

### The malaria problem

Soon after the base opened, soldiers and their families began getting sick. The disease was called "bilious fever" at the time. Today we know it was malaria. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes. The area around the base had swamps and wet ground where mosquitoes lived.

The death rate was very high. In the combined years of 1826, 1827, and 1828, more than 100 people died at the base. This was about half of all the people living there. The dead included soldiers' wives and children. The disease was worst during the hot summer months.

A newspaper in 1829 reported that the base was "very unhealthy." Army doctors did not know how to stop the disease. They did not know that mosquitoes spread malaria.

### Trying to solve the problem

The Army tried different ways to keep soldiers healthy. They sent soldiers to other bases during the summer. Some went to forts in Augusta, Georgia or Fort Mitchell, Alabama. These places were healthier. Soldiers came back to Cantonment Oglethorpe in the winter when there were fewer mosquitoes.

The Army also looked for a better place to put the barracks. They decided to build new barracks inside the city of Savannah on Liberty Street. The new barracks were finished in 1835. The Army called them Oglethorpe Barracks.

### Closing the base

In 1835, all the soldiers left Cantonment Oglethorpe and moved to the new Oglethorpe Barracks. The location was rarely used for many years.

## Notable people

Hugh W. Mercer was a young Army officer who served at Cantonment Oglethorpe. He arrived in March 1829 as a second lieutenant. He stayed in the Army until 1834. After leaving the Army, Mercer became an important citizen of Savannah. He was a great-grandfather of famous songwriter Johnny Mercer.

## What happened to the land

In 1853, the United States government gave the 28 acres back to Savannah. The city divided the land into two parts. Eight acres on the east side became part of Forsyth Park, which is now a large public park in Savannah. The other 20 acres on the west side became streets and lots for houses. This area is now part of Savannah's Victorian Historic District.

The neighborhood built on the old base land is called Lloyd Ward. People built houses there in the 1860s and 1880s. Many of these old houses still stand today.

## Infobox (military installation)

- **name**: Cantonment Oglethorpe
- **native name**: Old Oglethorpe Barracks
- **location**: Corner of West Park Avenue and Whitaker Street
Chatham County, Georgia
- **image**: File:Plan Cantonment Oglethorpe March 31, 1829 National Archives 14.jpg
- **caption**: Plan of the base from 1829
- **type**: Cantonment
- **site area**: 28 acres
- **ownership**: United States Army
- **used**: 1826–1835
- **materials**: Wood
- **garrison**: Two companies of artillery soldiers
- **mapframe**: yes