Before Songbird began in May 1943 and Edwin, Barry, and Sydney ever saw Ft. McClellan, the real-life 27th Division from New York made the fort its temporary home. The National Guard unit from New York was the first to train in the expanded post during World War II. The 27th Division was made up of 1,200 men and officers under the lead of Major General William N. Haskell. Their time at Ft. McClellan consisted of a 16-week basic training course, combat training, and actual fiel

Even in war, art must go on! Edouard Patte, a Red Cross Inspector, was surprised to find an art studio when he visited Fort McClellan’s POW camp in 1944. He wrote, “Since my last visit 4 barracks were set aside as art studios. Within them are working a few painters, sculptors, toy-makers and handicraft addicts who do some commendable work. Those little studios with self-made benches, old canvas frames, tin cans full of red, blue, yellow, black, and white, with paintings of Eu

German soldiers in Alabama! For those living in the state during World War II, it was a startling realty. In the summer of 1943, thousands of mostly German prisoners of war (POWs) poured into POW camps at Aliceville, Opelika, Camp Rucker, and Fort McClellan. An estimated 18,000 Germans were in captivity in Alabama that year. A government report showed 3,004 prisoners at Fort McClellan alone! The prisoners at Fort McClellan were not mistreated. They lived in twenty-man barrack

Do you know who once called President Abraham Lincoln a “well meaning baboon?" The answer is George B. McClellan, the Civil War General for whom Fort McClellan was named. If you want to know more about the man behind the name, here are some interesting facts: George B. McClellan was born on December 3, 1826 in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from West Point in 1846, ranking second in his class. He fought in the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848. After leaving military ser

While World War II produced innumerable soldiers, tanks, and warships, it also produced something else – marriages! With the uncertainties of war, couples across the country rushed to the altar before men were shipped overseas to enter the war. The 1941 marriage rate, 12.6 per 100,000 population, was the highest recorded rate ever in the United States. Anniston, AL was no exception. The Anniston Star reported in January 1942 that during the month of December 1941 alone at lea

During the war years, Ft. McClellan published a Daily Bulletin for the soldiers. I found this excerpt from the October 17, 1941 bulletin comical. Local cities tried to entertain our soldiers as best as they could! “A new center for enlisted men will open in Gadsden on Saturday, October 18th, at the First American Legion Amphitheater. Ping-pong, skittle, shuffle-board, a comfortable lounge, music, free showers and towels, refreshments, tours to places of interest, Sunday dinne