— Ch. 1 · Cavalry Post And Naming —
Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.
~2 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The United States Army established a cavalry post at the site of Hargrave, Georgia, in 1902. This unincorporated town sat next to the Chickamauga National Battlefield. William Hamilton Hargrave and his wife Amelia Cecilia Strange-Hargrave owned most of the land there. They were well known to travelers heading to Ross's Landing on the Tennessee River from LaFayette, Georgia. The couple was forced to sell their property to the Army for use as a base for the 6th Cavalry. The Chickamauga Post became Fort Oglethorpe after James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Colony of Georgia.
World War Detention Camps
During World War I, the fort served between 1917 and 1920 as a detention camp for civilian internees and prisoners of war. Susan Copsey wrote about foreign prisoners of war held at this location. The facility housed both civilians and military detainees during those years. It operated under strict military control while the world fought overseas. The presence of these groups changed the daily life of the small community nearby.Women's Army Corps Training
Fort Oglethorpe became a major training center for the Women's Army Corps during World War II. The area also served as a wartime induction and processing center. It again housed prisoners of war during that conflict. Elizabeth Cooksey documented the role of Catoosa County in these efforts. Thousands of women trained there before being deployed or assigned elsewhere. The site transformed from a cavalry post into a hub for female service members.