Fort A.P. Hill
Encyclopedia
Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, is an active duty installation of the United States Army
, located near the town of Bowling Green, Virginia
.
Named for Confederate
Lieutenant General
Ambrose Powell Hill
, Fort A.P. Hill, known as the place "Where America's Military Sharpens Its Combat Edge" is an all-purpose, year-round, military training center located approximately 90 minutes south of the National Capital Region. With 76,000 acres (310 km²) of land, including a modern 28,000 acre (110 km²), live-fire range complex featuring more than 100 direct and indirect fire ranges, it is one of the largest East Coast military installations. Military units can engage in training ranging from small unit operations to major maneuvers with combined arms, live-fire exercises.
, ordnance, arms, and military stores accumulated at New London, Virginia
, for decades. This new fort contains the site of the former New London arsenal.
In the spring of 1940, the War Plans Division of the Army General Staff developed a plan to raise a national army of four million men to conduct simultaneous operations in the Pacific and Europe theaters. In July 1940, a movement began to locate an area of approximately 60000 acres (242.8 km²), independent of any post, and lying somewhere between the Potomac River
and the upper Chesapeake Bay
.
No one seems to know who first suggested Caroline County
as a site for heavy weapons and maneuver training facilities. What is known is that Lt. Col. Oliver Marston, an artillery officer stationed in Richmond
and acting as an agent of the Third Corps Area commander, made a detailed investigation of the Bowling Green
area in September 1940. He enthusiastically recommended that the War Department procure the Caroline site. The result was a maneuver area that contained 77,332 Acres, and Billeting space for 74 Officers and 858 Enlisted Personnel.
Fort A.P. Hill was established as an Army training facility on June 11, 1941, pursuant to War Department General Order No. 5. In its 1st year, the installation was used as a maneuver area for the II Army Corps and for three activated National Guard divisions from Mid-Atlantic states. In the autumn of 1942, Fort A.P. Hill was the staging area for the headquarters and corps troops of Major General George S. Patton
’s Task Force A, which invaded French Morocco
in North Africa
. During the early years of World War II
, the post continued to be a training site for corps and division-sized units. Commencing in 1944, field training for Officer Candidate School
and enlisted replacements from nearby Forts Lee
, Eustis, and Belvoir
was conducted.
During the Korean War
, Fort A.P. Hill was a major staging area for units deploying to Europe
, including the VII Corps Headquarters and the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. The fort was the major center for Engineer Officer Candidate School training (students from Fort Belvoir) during the Vietnam War
.
Fort A.P. Hill today is a training and maneuver center focused on providing realistic joint and combined arms training. All branches of the Armed Forces train on Fort A.P. Hill and the installation has also hosted training from foreign allies. Whether it's providing support for a mobilization or helping units train for deployment, Fort A.P. Hill's state-of-the-art training facilities and ranges, and professional support staff, continue to ensure America's Armed Forces have the edge needed to win in 21st Century battlespace.
, a Virginia
native who distinguished himself as a Confederate
commander during the Civil War
. Rising from colonel
to major general
in three months, General Hill took command of one of Lee’s three corps in 1863. Two years later, as Grant’s forces laid siege to Petersburg, Virginia
, General Hill was mortally wounded as he rode his stallion, Champ, to the front. He had not yet reached his 40th birthday.
One week later, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox
. A fortnight later, John Wilkes Booth
was killed at the Garrett farmhouse, which was situated just beyond the present boundaries of the fort.
, Navy
, Marines, and Air Force
, as well as other government agencies. These include the Departments of State and Interior; U.S. Customs Service; and federal, state and local security and law enforcement agencies. The primary mission of Ft. A. P. Hill is as an Aerial Gunnery Range supporting Combat Training for Rotary Wing (Helicopter) Aircraft.
National Jamboree
in 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2010. The number of participants each time included approximately 35,000 Boy Scouts and some 250,000 visitors. After the very costly 1973 and 1977 National Jamborees, the Boy Scouts wanted to find a 'permanent' location for the Jamborees, to lower the costs associated with establishing a temporary city every four years. They worked with the Military to find a base so that infrastructure like roads, plumbing and electricity would not have to be installed every four years. They paid to have some permanent ultilties installed on-post for use every four years. The Boy Scouts hope to move the National Jamboree
to its new permanent home at The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve high-adventure camp in Fayette County
, West Virginia
beginning in 2013.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, located near the town of Bowling Green, Virginia
Bowling Green, Virginia
Bowling Green is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 936 at the 2000 census.The county seat of Caroline County since 1803, Bowling Green is best known as the "cradle of American horse racing", the home of the second oldest Masonic Lodge, and the...
.
Named for Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Ambrose Powell Hill
A. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. , was a career U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
, Fort A.P. Hill, known as the place "Where America's Military Sharpens Its Combat Edge" is an all-purpose, year-round, military training center located approximately 90 minutes south of the National Capital Region. With 76,000 acres (310 km²) of land, including a modern 28,000 acre (110 km²), live-fire range complex featuring more than 100 direct and indirect fire ranges, it is one of the largest East Coast military installations. Military units can engage in training ranging from small unit operations to major maneuvers with combined arms, live-fire exercises.
History
After the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, ordnance, arms, and military stores accumulated at New London, Virginia
New London, Virginia
New London is an unincorporated community in Caroline County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It lies within Fort A. P. Hill, 6 miles north-northeast of Bowling Green, Virginia....
, for decades. This new fort contains the site of the former New London arsenal.
In the spring of 1940, the War Plans Division of the Army General Staff developed a plan to raise a national army of four million men to conduct simultaneous operations in the Pacific and Europe theaters. In July 1940, a movement began to locate an area of approximately 60000 acres (242.8 km²), independent of any post, and lying somewhere between the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and the upper Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
No one seems to know who first suggested Caroline County
Caroline County, Virginia
Caroline County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 28,545. Its county seat is Bowling Green. Caroline County is also home to The Meadow stables, the birthplace of the renowned racehorse Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and...
as a site for heavy weapons and maneuver training facilities. What is known is that Lt. Col. Oliver Marston, an artillery officer stationed in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and acting as an agent of the Third Corps Area commander, made a detailed investigation of the Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Virginia
Bowling Green is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 936 at the 2000 census.The county seat of Caroline County since 1803, Bowling Green is best known as the "cradle of American horse racing", the home of the second oldest Masonic Lodge, and the...
area in September 1940. He enthusiastically recommended that the War Department procure the Caroline site. The result was a maneuver area that contained 77,332 Acres, and Billeting space for 74 Officers and 858 Enlisted Personnel.
Fort A.P. Hill was established as an Army training facility on June 11, 1941, pursuant to War Department General Order No. 5. In its 1st year, the installation was used as a maneuver area for the II Army Corps and for three activated National Guard divisions from Mid-Atlantic states. In the autumn of 1942, Fort A.P. Hill was the staging area for the headquarters and corps troops of Major General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
’s Task Force A, which invaded French Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. During the early years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the post continued to be a training site for corps and division-sized units. Commencing in 1944, field training for Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
and enlisted replacements from nearby Forts Lee
Fort Lee
Fort Lee may refer to:* Fort Lee, New Jersey* Battle of Fort Lee was fought on November 19, 1776 between American and British forces.* Fort Lee , a United States Army post...
, Eustis, and Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
was conducted.
During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Fort A.P. Hill was a major staging area for units deploying to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, including the VII Corps Headquarters and the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. The fort was the major center for Engineer Officer Candidate School training (students from Fort Belvoir) during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Fort A.P. Hill today is a training and maneuver center focused on providing realistic joint and combined arms training. All branches of the Armed Forces train on Fort A.P. Hill and the installation has also hosted training from foreign allies. Whether it's providing support for a mobilization or helping units train for deployment, Fort A.P. Hill's state-of-the-art training facilities and ranges, and professional support staff, continue to ensure America's Armed Forces have the edge needed to win in 21st Century battlespace.
Named for Distinguished Confederate Commander
The installation was named in honor of Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell HillA. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. , was a career U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
, a Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
native who distinguished himself as a Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
commander during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Rising from colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
to major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in three months, General Hill took command of one of Lee’s three corps in 1863. Two years later, as Grant’s forces laid siege to Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, General Hill was mortally wounded as he rode his stallion, Champ, to the front. He had not yet reached his 40th birthday.
One week later, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox
Appomattox
Appomattox may refer to:*Appomattox, Virginia, a town*Appomattox County, Virginia* Appomattox Basin, a name for the Tri-Cities, Virginia region*Appomattox Court House, a court house in Virginia...
. A fortnight later, John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
was killed at the Garrett farmhouse, which was situated just beyond the present boundaries of the fort.
Training
It is used year-round for military training of both active and reserve troops of the ArmyArmy
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, Marines, and Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
, as well as other government agencies. These include the Departments of State and Interior; U.S. Customs Service; and federal, state and local security and law enforcement agencies. The primary mission of Ft. A. P. Hill is as an Aerial Gunnery Range supporting Combat Training for Rotary Wing (Helicopter) Aircraft.
Fort A.P. Hill and the Boy Scouts of America
The installation has also hosted the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
National Jamboree
National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)
The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
in 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2010. The number of participants each time included approximately 35,000 Boy Scouts and some 250,000 visitors. After the very costly 1973 and 1977 National Jamborees, the Boy Scouts wanted to find a 'permanent' location for the Jamborees, to lower the costs associated with establishing a temporary city every four years. They worked with the Military to find a base so that infrastructure like roads, plumbing and electricity would not have to be installed every four years. They paid to have some permanent ultilties installed on-post for use every four years. The Boy Scouts hope to move the National Jamboree
National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)
The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
to its new permanent home at The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve high-adventure camp in Fayette County
Fayette County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
beginning in 2013.