World War I and Camp Colt

A lone bugler stands at Cemetery Ridge on the Gettysburg battlefield in 1918, when the landscape was used for Camp Colt.

National Archives.

While he is best known for his leadership during World War II, the events of World War I--known as the Great War--were instrumental to the lives of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower.

In the spring of 1918, 27-year-old Army Captain Dwight D. Eisenhower was preparing to go to France to see combat on the Western Front. Rather than shipping across the Atlantic, he received orders sending him to Gettysburg, where he became the commander of Camp Colt, a tank training camp established on the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg National Military Park. Mamie, and their infant son Doud, would soon join Ike in Gettysburg.

The Eisenhowers' time in Gettysburg in 1918 established core memories for them, as well as strong ties to the area that would ultimately help bring them back here. In 1950, they bought a farm in Gettysburg, which is today Eisenhower National Historic Site.

This page has articles, photographs, and programs related to how Camp Colt and World War I impacted the Eisenhowers, Gettysburg (including Gettysburg National Cemetery), and the United States.

 

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  Eisenhower and Camp Colt

  Learn more about Camp Colt, a 1918 tank training camp on the Gettysburg battlefield that was commanded by Captain Dwight Eisenhower

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  WWI in Gettysburg National Cemetery

  Explore stories of WWI servicemembers who are buried in Gettysburg National Cemetery.

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  Citizenship at Camp Colt

  During World War I, over 300 soldiers became US citizens at Camp Colt, a tank training camp in Gettysburg. Explore this story here.

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  2025 World War I Weekend

  In July 2025, Eisenhower NHS hosted its annual World War I Weekend event. Find images of this event here.

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  2024 World War I Weekend

  In May 2024, Eisenhower NHS hosted World War I Weekend, interpreting the United States and the Eisenhowers in 1918.