Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The nearby city of Hinesville, along with Ft. Stewart and the rest of Liberty and Long Counties, comprise the Hinesville metropolitan area. Many of Fort Stewart's residents are members of the 3rd Infantry Division. The Fort Stewart Military Reservation includes approximately . This includes land that was formerly the town of Clyde, Georgia. Geography Fort Stewart is located along the Canoochee River. History Fort Stewart is named for Daniel Stewart (Brigadier General), a Revolutionary War hero and political leader from Liberty County, Georgia. It is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River, covering , which include parts of Liberty, Long, Bryan, Evans and Tattnall Counties. The reservation is about across from east to west, and from north to south. During World War II, the camp had billeting space for 2,705 officers, and 37,267 enlisted men. It is close to the East Coast, and two deep water ports: Savannah, Georgia (42 mi), and Charleston, South Carolina (142 mi). Tank, field artillery, helicopter gunnery, and small arms ranges operate simultaneously throughout the year with little time lost to bad weather. Anti-Aircraft Artillery Center In June 1940, Congress authorized funding for the purchase of property in coastal Georgia for the purpose of building an anti-aircraft artillery training center. It was to be located just outside Hinesville, Georgia, some southwest of Savannah. On 1 July 1940 the first 5,000 acres (20 km) were bought and subsequent purchases followed. Eventually the reservation would include over 280,000 acres (1100 km) and stretch over five counties. The large expanse of property was required for the firing ranges and impact areas which an anti-aircraft artillery training center would need for live-fire training. In November 1940, the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training Center was officially designated as Camp Stewart, in honor of General Daniel Stewart, a native of Liberty County, who had fought with Francis Marion during the American Revolution, and who became one of the county’s military heroes. An announcement of the new post’s name was made in January 1941. During the early months, training was done on wooden mock-ups, since real anti-aircraft guns were in short supply. Live-firing exercises were conducted on the beaches of St. Augustine and Amelia Island, Florida, since the