Influenza reached all Army training camps in the United States. Let’s Explore August, September and October of 1918.
Camp Grant, IL (#3 on Map).
From Sept 20th, for 8 days the flood of new patients averaged 1,000 a day into a 2,000 bed hospital. Emergency actions cleared barracks and a hangar at Eberts Field to receive 1,400 of the bed cases.
To make matters worse 62 of the 240 medical personal contracted influenza too.
The Camp Devens’ base hospital and regimental infirmaries were overwhelmed with thousands of sick trainees. (#2 on Map)
Camp Devens — Physicians performing autopsies described influenza pathology as unique, characterized by the intense congestion and ‘hemorrhage’ of the lungs. One doctor during an autopsy, turned away from the blue, swollen lungs with wet, foamy, shapeless surfaces [and] became excited and nervous, saying, ‘This must be some new kind of infection or plague.’
Hanger 10 at Eberts Field (pictured) was used as a recovery ward. The field was located 20 miles east of Camp Pike and 1.4 miles northwest of Lonoke, Arkansas.
Camp Upton, RI. “abruptly” with 38 hospital admissions from contingent of replacement troops that arrived from Camp Devens. Within 40 days, 6,131 men went to the hospital for influenza. (#1 on Map)
Influenza reached civilians in Boston and on arrived “completely unheralded” at the Army’s Camp Devens, outside of the city.