HISTORY OF FT. BENNING

The Beginning of Fort Benning

In 1918, Fort Benning had its beginnings in response to World War I and Columbus, Georgia's need to play an important role in the defense of the United States. The Columbus Chamber of Commerce actively sought to secure a training facility that would accommodate the new troops that were being inducted into the service for the war. The resulting camp was named Fort Benning. It was named after General Henry Lewis Benning, who was both a long time Columbus resident and a hero of the Civil War. The camp trained infantrymen and emerged from a camp into a fully-developed fort along the way.

Today Fort Benning is the largest training installation and one of the premier deployment platforms capable of deploying soldiers, civilians and unit anywhere in the world at any time. The installation known as "Home of the Infantry," covers more than 183,000 acres. It is the most influential infantry center in the modern world and proudly produces "the world's finest combatant infantrymen."

Other information:

The Beginning of Fort Benning

Important National Leaders who Served at Fort Benning

National Infantry Association and the National Infantry Museum

Other Areas of Interest to the Military

Units that have called Fort Benning Home