Camp Jossman was a United States Army cantonment constructed near the town of Buenavista on Guimaras Island in the Philippines after the Spanish–American War.
Naming Camp Jossman was named for Albert L. Jossman. Jossman, a graduate of the University of Michigan enlisted for the Spanish–American War as a member of the 35th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He subsequently transferred to the 27th Michigan Regiment, and later joined the regular Army as a member of the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Jossman was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and was wounded at the Battle of Bayan. Second Lieutenant Jossman died in Manila on July 28, 1902 while en route to the United States on a furlough. Jossman's remains were returned to Michigan, and he received a military funeral in Detroit.History of Oakland County Michigan, by Thaddeus D. Seeley, 1912, Volume 2, page 863Fanny Dunbar Corbusier: Recollections of Her Army Life, 1869–1908, by Fanny Dunbar Corbusier, edited by Patricia Y. Stallard, 2003, page 319
Construction and operation The construction of a post on Guimaras Island was authorized by Congress in July, 1902. Subsequent acts of Congress authorized the expansion of the camp.United States Military Reservations, National Cemeteries, and Military Parks: Title, Jurisdiction, etc., prepared by the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General, 1910, pages 326 to 327
Camp Jossman was the base for the 19th Infantry Regiment and two battalions of Philippine Scouts.Annual report, published by the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, 1939, page 126
In 1909 the facility was expanded to include the Punta Blanco target range.
Sixty-seven buildings were planned for Camp Jossman.Annual Reports of the War Department for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1903, published by U.S. Government Printing Office, Volume III, 1903, pages 227 to 228 Not all of these buildings had been completed when the post was vacated.A Life of Duty: the Autobiography of George Willcox McIver, 1858–1948, by George Willcox McIver, edited Jonathan Dembo, 2006, pages 133 to 135
Affiliation with prominent soldiers
While serving with the 3rd Engineer Battalion from 1902 to 1903, Douglas MacArthur, then a First Lieutenant, was responsible for construction of the Buenavista wharf at Santo Rosario (today known as MacArthur's Wharf), as well as the road from the wharf to Camp Jossman.Military.com, 3rd Engineer Battalion: 1901 - 1965, accessed July 23, 2013
Brigadier General John W. Heavey, Chief of the Militia Bureau during World War I, served at Camp Jossman from 1902 to 1904.George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume IV, 1901, page 519
Brigadier General George W. McIver, commander of the 81st Infantry Division's 161st Brigade in World War I, served at Camp Jossman from 1903 to 1905.A Life of Duty: the Autobiography of George Willcox McIver
Lieutenant General William H.H. Morris served at Camp Jossman as a Second Lieutenant in 1911.Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, by George Washington Cullum, 1920, Volume VI-b, page 1549
Major General David C. Shanks, assigned to Camp Jossman as a major with the 4th Infantry Regiment from 1908 to 1909.
General Joseph Stilwell was assigned to Camp Jossman as a First Lieutenant from 1904 to 1906.Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45, by Barbara W. Tuchman, 1972, page 23
Deactivation In 1912 the U.S. Army determined that there was no longer a need for bases on Guimaras Island, and Camp Jossman was vacated. The buildings and other infrastructure were subsequently demolished.
Present day The site of Camp Jossman is now a reservoir under the jurisdiction of the Water District of Buenavista.Province of Guimaras web site, Tourist Attractions page
The Punta Blanco Ranges are still visible, and are considered a local historic site.Belle Piccio, , June 13, 2013
References