Camp Rogers (1)

 (1898-1898) - A Spanish-American War Camp established in 1898 near Ybor City, Hillsborough County, Florida. Named Camp Rogers after General John I. Rogers Chief of Artillery of the U.S. Army. Abandoned in 1898. Also known as Camp Rodgers.

History
Established on 21 May 1898 as a camp for a battalion of siege artillery and slated to be the headquarters of the artillery batteries to be sent to Cuba.

The camp of the heavy artillery is situated on that part of Tampa Heights lying northeast of Ybor City, and is the beginning of what is locally known as College Hill. The street car line between the city and the dam runs within a few yards of the camp: in fact, a number of the big guns connected with the camp are on flat cars standing on switches on either side of the main track. The large pyramids of feed for the draught animals attached to the camp are built near the track, and it is an occurrence of every trip that the motormen have to clear the track of some of the feed, which has slipped down on the rails. This camp is the most formidable of all in this vicinity—it is a whole fort in itself. Through the camp streets are drawn up lines of long, keen-looking guns. Around the outer line of tents are big guns, mortars, and howitzers. These latter are of seven-inch caliber, and are terrors, even while silent, their short, stubby bodies and large yawning mussies giving one and idea of the fearful havoc they could visit upon the enemy. Long rows of flat cars hold guns mounted for action, and unmounted monsters which glitter in the sunlight.

The Camp was abandoned about 20 Aug 1898.

Current Status
Unknown.

See Also:
 * Spanish-American War

Sources:
 * , page 200.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Camp Rogers
 * US Gen Net - Camp Rogers, Tampa, FL