| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Fort Washington Park |
| | Fort Washington Park is the site of the first permanent fort constructed between 1814-1824 to guard the Potomac River approach to our Nation's Capital. Today the park offers many recreational opportunities and programs. Explore the historic sites and enjoy the natural areas of this 341-acre reserve. — Map (db m4554) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Battery Decatur and Disappearing Guns |
| | American coastal defenses were modernized from the 1890s to 1910 with the development of the Endicott System. Emphasis in military tactics shifted the masonry fortifications to more effective weapons based on rifled steel guns, improved breech-loading systems, better propellants (gunpowder), and reinforced concrete gun emplacements. Here you will see the remains of Battery Decatur, a reinforced concrete emplacement completed in 1891. It mounted two 10-inch disappearing guns similar to the Fort . . . — Map (db m7955) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Capital Guardian — The Endicott System |
| | Coastal fortifications moved into the 20th century with the development of the Endicott System. At Fort Washington, eight reinforced concrete batteries were constructed near the old fort to mount modern artillery. Many support buildings were erected including officer and enlisted quarters. In 1921, after the fort was no longer needed as a coastal defense, it housed part of the 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment. The Endicott System consisted of several types of weapons designated to repel all classes . . . — Map (db m7960) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Capital Guardian — Fort Washington |
| | Building the Second Fort On September 8, 1814, only 12 days after the destruction of Fort Warburton, Pierre L'Enfant was commissioned by the Government to reestablish a fortification here. Work began that October but increasing friction between L'Enfant and the Government caused suspension of the project in July 1815. Shortly thereafter, L'Enfant was replaced by Lt. Col. Walker K. Armistead. Completed in October 1824, at a cost of $426,000, this structure stood as the only permanent . . . — Map (db m7963) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Capital Guardian — The First Fort |
| | Troubles with Britain caused Congress in 1807 to authorize an improved system of forts along the Atlantic Coast to guard harbors, rivers, and seaports. The first fort, Fort Warburton, was completed in 1809. Located near the river in front of the present fort, it was a small structure mounting 13 guns. Destruction of the First Fort During the War of 1812, the British, determined to retaliate for the American invasion of Canada and the destruction of York, planned to attack Washington, D.C. . . . — Map (db m7980) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Main Gateway |
| | Two sets of gates protected the main entrance, or sally port. During the improvements made in the 1840s the drawbridge was added to make the approach to the gates more difficult. The drawbridge, operated by a unique system of iron counterweights and chains, was designated to close rapidly in case of land attack. (Sidebar): The entrance was also guarded by cannon. Thirteen guns, mounted on the parapet, covered the approaches to the gateway. To protect the area next to the wall and . . . — Map (db m7982) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Caponiere |
| | During the 1840s improvements were made to this wall, defensively the weakest part of the fort. The parapet was raised and an outer work, called a caponiere, was added. The protected passageway on your left will lead you to the outerwork that mounted four howitzers in the chamber ahead and two on the upper level. These weapons are no longer here but you will see the tracks they were mounted on. These traverse rails made it easy to position the howitzers for firing. — Map (db m8075) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — The Cisterns |
| | A reliable supply of drinking water for the garrison was a priority at Fort Washington. Three wells dug early in the fort's construction proved inadequate. By 1823, four cisterns were installed to store rainwater. Located underground at each end of the barracks and officers' quarters, these cisterns had a total capacity of 19,000 gallons. Rainwater from the gutters and downspouts of the buildings flowed through a filter box into the cisterns. The water could then be removed by a handpump. — Map (db m8071) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Counterscarp Battery |
| | Along the outer wall of the ditch you see the counterscarp battery, named for its location on the "counterscarp," or outer wall, of the dry ditch. This structure sheltered troops who could direct musketry toward the river or into the ditch itself. The reverse fire tactic enhanced the protection of this area of the wall. — Map (db m8068) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Minefields |
| | Minefields were an important part of the Endicott System of defense at the turn of the century. You are standing on the site that controlled the minefield operation. Groups of underwater mines anchored in the river downstream from the fort could be fired electrically from here when enemy ships passed nearby. The guns of Batteries White (visible below to your right), Many, and Smith protected the minefield from enemy minesweepers and destroyers. — Map (db m8065) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Shot and Shell |
| | Fort Washington's solid masonry walls offered good protection against shot from smoothbore cannon of the early 19th century. When rifled artillery was introduced in the late 1850s and used during the Civil War, effectiveness of masonry structures decreased. The new weapons fired projectiles that fit the bore tightly and were given a stabilizing spin by the grooves in the barrel. These improvements gave the rifled guns a range, accuracy, and hitting power nearly three times greater than the . . . — Map (db m8063) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Water Battery |
| | Construction of this inverted V-shaped outerwork began in 1814. Traces of its shape are visible today. Surrounded by a dry ditch, the Water Battery mounted 24-pounder guns that provided an additional level of firepower to the fort. The Water Battery underwent two major changes after 1872. The gatehouse and other buildings were removed and construction of earthworks to surround the fort began. Four platforms for 15-inch Rodman guns and three magazines were completed before the government . . . — Map (db m8061) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — The Northwest Demi-Bastion |
| | The demi-bastion is a section of the fort that projects beyond the main wall and provides concentrated defensive fire. The bastion design includes two levels of artillery. Guns were to be mounted on the parapet above and in the casemates you see below at the base of the wall. When the fort was armed in the 1840s, however, only the guns on the upper, or barbette, level were installed. The casemates saw other uses. Company laundresses lived in two of them with their soldier husbands until . . . — Map (db m7998) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — The Water Battery |
| | Strategically placed, this permanent section of the fort was the lowest level of the three tiers of guns. The Water Battery was designed to deliver "water-skipping" cannonade directed at the hulls of enemy ships. The simple V-shaped design has undergone few changes from the original concept. In the 100 years of active duty, new parapets and gun mounts have been added. Still visible are the deep masonry ditches and powder magazines from the 1820 construction. — Map (db m8078) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — New Guns for an Old Fort |
| | Remnants of former gun emplacements are the reminders of the three generations of armaments that occupied this V-shaped Water Battery. Each generation reflects the latest technologies and precision in the manufacture of armaments. 1830 - The first guns to be positioned were considered adequate to sink the wooden-hulled ships of a passing naval flotilla. 1872-1898 - The fort was redesigned after the Civil War and made larger; more powerful guns were installed. New technology in casting from . . . — Map (db m8080) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — “Warburton Manor” — Patented 1661 |
| | Home of the Digges Family (descendants of Edward Digges, governor of Virginia, 1652–1668). The most intimate friend of George and Martha Washington in Prince George’s County, where they visited many times. Washington spent his forty-third birthday here. Now site of Fort Washington, designed by L’Enfant 1814. — Map (db m3663) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Firepower on the Potomac — Fort Washington Park |
| | (Left Panel): Three pair of these large 10-inch caliber disappearing guns were the key feature of the 1890s river defense system. Each weapon could direct its 650-pound projectile at enemy ships within a seven-mile range. Battery Humphries is one of three similar structures located at Fort Washington Park. (Right Panel): Fort Washington is the site of the first permanent fort constructed between 1814-1824 to guard the Potomac River approach to our Nation's Capital. Today, the . . . — Map (db m8083) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — The Mortar Battery |
| | Named Battery Meigs, these two pits contained eight large 12-inch mortars. Each huge mortar was capable of hurling a 700-pound projectile in a high arc. The simultaneous firing of all eight would insure a clustered group of shells falling on the decks of an attacking battleship. The rate of fire of these weapons depended upon the speed and skill of the 12 men needed to serve each mortar. The practiced teamwork of 96 men rushing to load, aim, fire, and reload these eight heavy weapons reflected . . . — Map (db m8086) |
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