Spanish War Veterans Memorial - Camp Cobb
N 38° 17.593 W 077° 27.507
18S E 285001 N 4241208
A memorial stands at the site of a training camp for Spanish-American War recruits in historic Fredericksburg, VA.
Waymark Code: WM766M
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2009
Views: 3
Camp Cobb, named for Brig. Gen. Thomas Cobb who was killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War, was a training camp for the 4th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment, also known as the Immunes.
Because of the danger of yellow fever and malaria in Cuba, men who came from tropical backgrounds were sought after because it was thought they would be less susceptible or 'immune' to these diseases.
Ten units of Immunes arrived at Camp Cobb on June 4, 1898. The soldiers never saw combat since the Spanish-American War ended shortly after. The camp was dismantled.
Today, the City Office of Student Services occupies the site and a playground stands where Spanish-American recruits once trained.
The inscription on the Spanish-American War memorial reads:
IN MEMORY OF OUR
COMRADES WHO
ENCAMPED ON THIS SITE
PRIOR TO THE CAMPAIGN
IN CUBA DURING THE
WAR WITH SPAIN
1898 - 1898
ERECTED 1942 BY THE
VETERANS REGIMENTAL
ORGANIZATION 4TH U.S.
VOL. INFANTRY (IMMUNE)
There is also a VA Historical Marker near the monument, N-30 - CAMP COBB AT GUNNERY SPRINGS, that gives some background history.
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