Camp Cuba Libre facts for kids

Camp Cuba Libre was an important place for American soldiers during the Spanish–American War. It was set up in Jacksonville, Florida, in May 1898. Soldiers first gathered in Tampa, but it became too crowded. So, Camp Cuba Libre was built as a new gathering spot. It was the main camp for Major General Fitzhugh Lee's Seventh Corps.

Why Was Camp Cuba Libre Built?

The camp was first called Camp Springfield. It got its name from the area north of downtown Jacksonville. The camp's borders were Ionia Street, 8th Street, Main Street, and 1st Street.

Camp Cuba Libre became very busy soon after it was built. About 30,000 soldiers from the Seventh Corps gathered there. Because it was an overflow camp, supplies were hard to find. Many resources were sent to other groups of soldiers. These groups, the Fifth and Eighth Corps, were going to the Philippines and Cuba.

Nurses and Women at the Camp

The Spanish–American War was one of the first wars where nurses played a big role. The Daughters of the American Revolution Hospital Corps hired four Catholic Lakota nuns as nurses. They were sent to Camp Cuba Libre first. Later, they moved to Camp Columbia in Havana.

Other female nurses from the Red Cross also served at Camp Cuba Libre. The chief surgeon at the camp was unsure about needing female nurses. But these women still helped care for the soldiers.