| District of Columbia, Washington — Fort De Russy — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Fort De Russy are visible; follow path to your right for 200 years.
[drawing of fort] Fort De Russy from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drawing.
Cannon mounted at Fort De Russy helped repulse a Confederate attack on Fort Stevens, July 11012, 1864.
[map of northern DC] Other Civil War fort locations administered by Rock Creek Park.
[picture of unnamed fort] During the Civil War, Washington's forts overlooked farm land. — Map (db m20822) |
| District of Columbia, Washington — Fort DeRussy |
| | One of the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Constructed on the site in 1861 Fort DeRussy commanded the deep valley of Rock Creek. Its armament consisted of 11 guns and mortars including a 100-pounder Parrott Rifle. — Map (db m20823) |
| District of Columbia, Washington — Fort DeRussy |
| | Built in 1861 to protect the Rock Creek Valley during the Civil War, Fort DeRussy's cannon fired a total of 109 projectiles into the northern countryside as 12,000-15,000 Confederate soldiers attacked the city under the command of Confederate General Jubal Anderson Early on July 11-12, 1864. During this two day battle (known as the Battle of Fort Stevens) Fort DeRussy aided the surrounding forts by providing the main suppressive fire to ensure a Union victory on the battlefield.
The . . . — Map (db m20824) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), American University Park — Fort Bayard |
| | Civil War Defenses of Washington 1861-1865. No visible evidence remains of Fort Bayard, which stood at the top of this hill. Named for Brig. Gen. George Bayard, mortally wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. — Map (db m124) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Anacostia — Battery Ricketts — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Battery Ricketts are visible inside the wooded area in front of you. Battery Ricketts, built to defend an area in front of Fort Stanton, was named for Maj. Gen. James B. Ricketts. — Map (db m10622) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Anacostia — Fort Carroll — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Fort Carroll are visible 100 yards to the right at the top of the hill. Fort Carroll was named in honor of Maj. Gen. Samuel Sprigg Carroll, a West Point graduate from the District of Columbia. — Map (db m10614) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Anacostia — Fort Greble — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Fort Greble are visible beyond this exhibit. Fort Greble was named in honor of Lt. John T. Greble, slain at the Battle of Big Bethel, June 10, 1861, the first U.S. Military Academy graduate killed in the Civil War. — Map (db m10610) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Benning Heights — Fort Chaplin — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Fort Chaplin are visible through the wooded areas at the top of the hill. Fort Chaplin was named in honor of Col. Daniel Chaplin, who was mortally wounded on August 17, 1864, at Deep Bottom, Virginia. — Map (db m10628) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northeast — Fort Slocum |
| | Civil War Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 No visible evidence remains of Fort Slocum, which stood here and across Kansas Avenue to your left. Cannon mounted at Fort Totten helped repulse a Confederate attack on Fort Stevens, July 11-12, 1864. — Map (db m3012) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northeast — Fort Totten — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | Earthworks of Fort Totten are visible within the wooded area 50 yards at the top of this hill. Cannon mounted at Fort Totten helped repulse a Confederate attack on Fort Stevens, July 11-12, 1864. — Map (db m2993) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northeast — Fort Totten |
| | One of the Civil War defenses of Washington construction of Fort Totten was begun in August 1861, named after Gen. Joseph G. Totten the fort contained 20 guns and mortars including eight 32-pounders. United States Department of the Interior National Parks Service — Map (db m2999) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northwest — Battery Kemble Park — Defense of Washington |
| | Built in the autumn of 1861 and enlarged in 1862, the battery was named for Gouveneur Kemble of Cold Spring, NY, a former superintendent of the West Point Foundry. The battery, which consisted of two 100-pound Parrott guns, was designed to sweep the Virginia heights across the Potomac River of any Confederate threats to Chain Bridge. — Map (db m4078) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northwest — Fort Stevens |
| | Civil War Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 The partial reconstruction of Fort Stevens that you see today was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. No visible evidence of the original fort remains. Battle of Fort Stevens July 11-12, 1864 On July 11-12, 1864, Fort Stevens was the focal point of a Confederate attack by Gen. Jubal Early with his force of 15,000 soldiers. Defended by a meager force of convalescents, quartermaster employees and 100 day militia volunteers, Fort . . . — Map (db m3028) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Northwest — Lincoln Under Fire at Fort Stevens |
| | July 12, 1864. — Map (db m901) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Tenleytown — Fort Reno — Civil War Defenses of Washington — 1861-1865 |
| | No visible evidence remains of Fort Reno, which stood at the top of this hill, the highest elevation in Washington, D.C.
[drawing of Fort Reno] Fort Reno from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drawing. Cannon mounted at Fort Reno helped repulse a Confederate attack on Fort Stevens, July 11-12, 1864.
[map of northern DC] Other Civil War fort locations administered by Rock Creek Park.
[photo of unnamed Washington fort] During the Civil War, Washington's forts overlooked farm land. — Map (db m20629) |
| District of Columbia (Washington), Tenleytown — The Civil War Defenses of Washington — Fort Reno |
| | The site of this fort was selected in August, 1861. First called Fort Pennsylvania, the fort was located at an elevation of 430 feet, commanding three important roads which entered the city from the northwest in the vicinity of what is now Wisconsin and Nebraska avenues, N.W. — Map (db m20630) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Battery Bailey |
| | During the Civil War, fortifications were constructed around the perimeter of Washington to defend the city from attack by the Confederate Army. Paramount to survival under siege was protection of the city's water supply. Forts Sumner and Mansfield and a string of connecting batteries, including Battery Bailey, were constructed to guard the receiving reservoir of the Washington aqueduct and the Potomac River shoreline. Battery Bailey, named for Colonel Guilford D. Bailey of the Union Army, is . . . — Map (db m17647) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Col. Guilford Dudley Bailey — The Fallen Union Officer for Whom the Battery Was Named |
| | [Panel 1]
Born June 4, 1834, in Martinsburg, New York, this 1856 West Point graduate returned to his alma mater as an instructor following a tour of duty in the west and midwest. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bailey organized the First New York Light Artillery and was appointed its colonel on September 24, 1861. During the Battle of Seven Pines near Williamsburg, Virginia, on May 31, 1862, Colonel Bailey was killed instantly at the tragic young age of 28.
[Panel 2] . . . — Map (db m17695) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Fort Sumner |
| | Forts Alexander, Ripley and Franklin, built to protect the Washington water system in 1861, were connected by earthworks in 1863 and renamed Ft. Sumner to honor Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner, A hero of Antietam. The fort’s 28 cannon providea a formidable bulwark against raiding Confederates. Nothing remains of the fort but an outline of it appears on the reverse. — Map (db m3448) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Colmar Manor — Fort Lincoln |
| | These earthworks are a portion of the original fortifications which made up Fort Lincoln. This fort was build during the summer of 1861 to serve as an outer defense of the city of Washington. It was named in honor of President Lincoln by General Order No. 18, A.G.O., Sept. 30, 1861. The brigade of Major General Joseph Hooker was the first to occupy this area. In immediate command of the fort was Captain T.S. Paddock. The Civil War cannons have been placed here through the courtesy of the . . . — Map (db m5069) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Colmar Manor — Historic Fort Lincoln Cemetery |
| | Fort Lincoln Cemetery was chartered in 1912 by an act of the Maryland General Assembly and presently contains 178 acres.
Here, at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, masterworks of marble, granite and bronze stand in solemn dignity and provides a tranquil setting for those visiting the final resting places of their loved ones.
Fort Lincoln property consists of parcels from three early land grants: Scotland (1685), Barbadoes (1685) and Chillum Castle Manor (1763). A few of these early land owners . . . — Map (db m3614) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — 15-inch Rodman Smoothbore |
| | Among the largest cannon used in the Civil War Monumental in size, these two immense guns remain as sentinels ready to repel an attack on the Nation's capital. With their extended range and commanding location above the river, they were the key defensive feature of the fort. Perhaps because of their formidable weight, the guns (original armament of the fort) have not been moved since their installation in 1864. Immobile as these huge guns may appear, a well drilled crew of 12 men could . . . — Map (db m7636) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Fort Foote — Protecting the Nation’s Capital |
| | High on a bluff, a hundred feet above the Potomac River, twelve heavy guns commanded the approach to the city. Smaller cannon were placed to protect Fort Foote from landward attack. Numerous buildings were constructed to house and support the large garrison of troops that built the fort and manned the big guns. Construction of this Civil War earthworks began in 1863. It was the largest and southernmost bastion in a ring of 68 forts that were hurriedly laid out, armed and manned. Fort Foote . . . — Map (db m4168) |
| 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 — King's Depression Carriage |
| | Capt. Rufus King, Jr. devised a counterweight system and front-pintle mount that would allow the 49,000 pdr. Rodman Gun to depress during loading. Except for the brief periods of exposure to enemy fire during the aiming and firing of the gun, the crew could remain protected behind the high parapets of the fort. — Map (db m7625) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — Northwest Bastion |
| | Protecting the fort against land attack Armed with smaller field and siege guns, the landward bastions could deliver a sustained cannonade of 12- and 30-pounder shells. The long central traverse provided protection and contained magazines and bombproofs. — Map (db m7632) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Fort Washington — The Defenses of Washington |
| | At the start of the Civil War, Washington was protected by only one fort, Fort Washington guarding the Potomac River approach. The capital city was uncomfortably close to Confederate forces operating in Northern Virginia. by 1864, a system of earthen fortifications had been completed. The forts were well garrisoned and armed with large numbers of guns of diverse sizes and calibers. The war ended in the spring of 1865, and a year later all but a few forts were abandoned and their brief service ended. — Map (db m7635) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Battery Rodgers |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Battery Rodgers
Here stood Battery Rodgers, built in 1863 to prevent enemy ships from passing up the Potomac River. The battery had a perimeter of 30 yards and mounted five 200 pounder Parrott guns and one 15-inch Rodman. It was deactivated in 1867. — Map (db m8460) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Bombproof |
| | Two bombproofs, each measuring 200 feet long by 12.5 feet wide, were located in the center of Fort Ward. During normal operations the bombproofs were used as meeting rooms, storage facilities, and sometimes as a prison. In the event of an attack, the structures provided temporary protection for the soldiers. Water was supplied by a well located between the bombproofs. — Map (db m7716) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Entrance Gate to Fort Ward — Officers' Hut |
| | The Fort Ward entrance gate, completed in May 1865, provided the only access to the interior of the fort. The gate's decorative details include stands of cannonballs and the insignia (castle) of the Army Corps of Engineers which designed and supervised the construction of the Defenses of Washington. The present gate is a reconstruction based on the original Corps of Engineers drawing above. A ditch, or dry moat, surrounded the entire fort. The fort's earthen walls reached a height of . . . — Map (db m7680) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Fort Ward |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Ward Here stands Fort Ward, constructed in 1861 to protect the approaches to Alexandria by Little River Turnpike and Leesburg Turnpike. In 1864, the fort was enlarged to a perimeter of 818 yards with 36 gun emplacements. The fort has been preserved by the City of Alexandria. — Map (db m5871) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Fort Ward — 1861-1865 |
| | On May 24, 1861, when Virginia's secession from the Union became effective, Federal forces immediately occupied Northern Virginia to protect the City of Washington, D.C. After the Confederate victory at the Battle of First Bull Run (First Manassas) in July 1861, the Federal government began construction of a defense system to guard the Union capital. By the end of the war in 1865, the Defenses of Washington consisted of 162 forts and batteries, with emplacements for 1,421 guns. The initial . . . — Map (db m7676) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Fort Ward — 1861-1865 |
| | This stairway leads up the west wall of Fort Ward between the Northwest Bastion (to the left) and the Southwest Bastion (to the right). Fort Ward had 14 cannon emplacements along this area of the wall that created overlapping fields of fire. Infantry soldiers armed with rifle muskets stationed between the cannon emplacements made this wall of the fort a formidable obstacle to attack. A self-guided tour begins at the ceremonial gate. The initial construction of Fort Ward was completed in . . . — Map (db m7709) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Northwest Bastion |
| | The plan of Fort Ward consisted of five bastions with positions for 36 guns. The Northwest Bastion illustrates how the entire stronghold appeared in 1864. This bastion is armed with six reproduction weapons based on Fort Ward's original table of armament: three 4.5" Rodman rifled guns (#14,16,17), two 24-pounder smoothbore Howitzers (#13, 15), and one 6-pounder James Rifle (#12). The cannons worked in concert to sweep the field toward Little River Turnpike (Duke Street) to the south, and . . . — Map (db m7713) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Powder Magazine and Filling Room |
| | Ammunition for the fort's guns was kept in underground storage facilities called magazines and filling rooms. Shells were armed and sometimes stored in the filling room, while the magazine was used to hold black powder and crated rounds. Implements for firing the cannons could also be kept in the filling room. Duty in either the filling room or the magazine was hazardous as the slightest spark could ignite the highly explosive black powder. Soldiers assigned to this task were required to . . . — Map (db m7711) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Profile of Fort |
| | This exterior view of the restored Northwest Bastion illustrates the effectiveness of an earthwork fort. The fort walls were 18-22 feet high, 12-14 feet thick, and slanted at 45 degrees. To gain access to the fort an attacker would have to cross the field of fire (the open area to the front of the fort), penetrate the abatis (the line of felled trees that surrounded the ditch), enter the ditch, and scale the walls while the defenders were well protected behind the embankments. These restored . . . — Map (db m7714) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Rifle Trench |
| | This rifle trench extended from the North Bastion toward Battery Garesche located beyond Leesburg Turnpike (Route 7). Another rifle trench extended from the tip of the South Bastion near the Fort Gate. The rifle trenches prevented enemy troops from moving towards the rear of the fort. — Map (db m7715) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Southwest Bastion |
| | The Southwest Bastion was the most heavily fortified area of the fort with emplacements for seven guns, as well as a magazine and a filling room. The largest gun in Fort Ward, a 100-pounder Parrott Rifle, was located in the Southwest Bastion. This weapon was mounted on a center pintle (circular) carriage and could fire a 100-pound projectile a distance of about five miles. The Parrott Rifle was important because of its capability of defending both the Leesburg Turnpike and the Little River . . . — Map (db m7684) |
| Virginia, Falls Church — Taylor’s Tavern — Professor Lowe's Balloons |
| | At the beginning of the war, Union commanders were uncertain of Confederate intentions and military capabilities. On June 22, 1861, civilian balloonist Thaddeus S.C. Lowe inflated his racing balloon Enterprise at the Washington Gas Company to demonstrate its potential in obtaining military information about Confederate troop movements. With the assistance of a 15-man army detachment, he walked the balloon to Taylor's Tavern at the edge of Union territory on the Falls Church heights. On . . . — Map (db m2826) |
| Virginia, Falls Church — Taylor’s Tavern |
| | Two-story building with verandahs stood on 56 acres bought in 1856 by Wm. Taylor (part of 1731 271-acre T. Harrison grant). Tavern faced Alexandria-Leesburg Pike west of Junction with Georgetown Road (Wilson Blvd.). Near here on June 24, 1861, balloonist Thaddeus Lowe conducted first aerial reconnaissance in U.S. military history. In August-September CSA Col. J.E.B. Stuart's troops fortified Upton's & Munson's Hills. By October 1861 Union troops had reoccupied hills and added forts Taylor, . . . — Map (db m2837) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 20 — Battery Garesché |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Battery Garesché Here stood Battery Garesché, constructed late in 1861 to control the higher ground dominating Fort Reynolds, 200 yards to the southeast. It had a perimeter of 166 yards and emplacements for 8 guns. — Map (db m5164) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — Fort Albany |
| | Immediately to the northwest stood Fort Albany, a bastioned earthwork built in May 1861 to command the approach to the Long Bridge by way of the Columbia Turnpike. It had a perimeter of 429 yards and emplacements for 12 guns. Even after Forts Richardson and Craig were built, 1300 yards to the west and north respectively, the heavy guns of Fort Albany served to support them, and to dominate them if they were captured. The ground on which the Fort stood was cut away during the construction of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway in 1942. — Map (db m5258) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 18 — Fort Barnard |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Barnard Here stood Fort Barnard, a redoubt constructed late in 1861 to command the approaches to Alexandria by way of Four Mile Run and Glebe Road. It was named for General J. G. Barnard, Chief Engineer of the Defenses of Washington. It had a perimeter of 250 yards and emplacements for 20 guns. — Map (db m5158) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 1 — Fort Bennett |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Bennett Here stood Fort Bennett, a small outwork of Fort Corcoran, constructed in May 1861. With a perimeter of 146 yards and emplacements for 5 guns, it was designed to bring under fire the slope northwest of Fort Corcoran, which could not be seen from there. — Map (db m5104) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 17 — Fort Berry |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Berry Immediately to the west stood Fort Berry, a redoubt constructed in 1863 at the north flank of the defenses of Alexandria, but also flanking the Columbia Turnpike and the Arlington Line constructed in 1861. It had a perimeter of 215 yards and emplacements for 10 guns. — Map (db m5154) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — Fort C.F. Smith — Defending the Capital |
| | Fort C.F. Smith was constructed in early 1863 as part of the expansion and strengthening of the capital’s defenses that continued throughout the Civil War. With Forts Strong, Morton and Woodbury, Fort C.F. Smith formed the outer perimeter of the fortifications that protected the Aqueduct Bridge of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (located near the site of the present-day Francis Scott Key Bridge). Fort C.F. Smith was built as a lunette with a southern and western face and two flanks, as well as a . . . — Map (db m5099) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — Fort C.F. Smith — Mr. Lincoln’s Forts — Defenses of Washington, 1861-1865 |
| | Fort C.F. Smith was constructed in 1863 on farmland appropriated from William Jewell. The fort was named in honor of Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith, who was instrumental in the Union victory at Fort Donelson, Tennessee in 1862. The fortification was constructed to extend the line of forts to the Potomac River and to command a tributary ravine not covered by Fort Strong. Along with forts Strong, Morton and Woodbury, Fort C.F. Smith functioned as part of the outer perimeter defenses that protected . . . — Map (db m5101) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — Fort C.F. Smith — Protecting the Capital |
| | The ramps in front of you, now covered with grass, led to wooden platforms on which the various cannons were placed. When built in 1863, Fort C.F. Smith had platforms for twenty-two artillery pieces and four siege mortars. However, only sixteen cannons and four mortars were actually placed in the fort. The list of armaments for Fort C.F. Smith included two 6-pounder brass guns, six 4.5 inch guns, four 24-pounder cannons, three 12-pounder howitzers, one 8-inch seacoast howitzer and four 8-inch siege mortars. — Map (db m5102) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 8 — Fort C.F. Smith |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort C.F. Smith Just to the north are the remains of Fort C.F. Smith. A lunette built early in 1863 to command the high ground north of Spout Run and protect the flank of the Arlington Line. It had a perimeter of 368 yards and emplacements for 22 guns. — Map (db m5103) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 13 — Fort Cass |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Cass During the Civil War, the Union built a series of forts to defend Washington, D.C. By 1865 there were 33 earthen fortifications in the Arlington Line. Fort Cass (1861) was part of this defensive strategy. Built on top of the rise east of this marker, this lunette fort was named for Colonel Thomas Cass, whose regiment constructed the fort. — Map (db m5141) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 2 — Fort Corcoran |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Corcoran During the Civil War, the Union built a series of forts to defend Washington, D.C. By 1865 there were 33 earthen fortifications in the Arlington Line. Fort Corcoran (1861) was part of this defensive strategy. Built east of this marker, this bastion fort guarded the approaches to the Aqueduct Bridge. It was named for Colonel Michael Corcoran, of the 69th New York State Militia. — Map (db m5106) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 15 — Fort Craig |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Craig Here stood Fort Craig, a lunette in the Arlington Line constructed in August 1861. It had a perimeter of 324 yards and emplacements for 11 guns. — Map (db m5150) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 7 — Fort Ethan Allen |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Ethan Allen This embankment was the south face of Fort Ethan Allen, a bastioned earthwork built in September 1861 to command all the approaches to Chain Bridge south of Pimmit Run. The fort had a perimeter of 736 yards with emplacements for 39 guns. The embankments which still remain were the south face less the west bastion; an interior bombproof shelter for protection against artillery fire from Hall’s Hill; The magazine and guard . . . — Map (db m2317) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — Fort Ethan Allen — Mr. Lincoln’s Forts — Defenses of Washington - 1861-1865 |
| | Fort Ethan Allen was constructed during the Civil War to provide one of the last lines of defense against possible Confederate attacks aimed at Washington. The fort commanded approaches to Chain Bridge (over the Potomac River) from the south of Pimmit Run. Built by troops from Vermont in September 1861, the fort was named in honor of Ethan Allen, Vermont’s famous Revolutionary War commander. Fort Ethan Allen was a large earthwork garrisoned by as many as 1,000 men. The fort’s perimeter was . . . — Map (db m2318) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 3 — Fort Haggerty |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Haggerty Here beside the Georgetown-Alexandria road stood Fort Haggerty, a small outwork of Fort Corcoran, constructed in May 1861. With a perimeter of 128 yards and emplacements for 4 guns, it was designed to bring under fire the slope south of Fort Corcoran, which could not be seen from there. — Map (db m5111) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 19 — Fort Reynolds |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Reynolds Here stood Fort Reynolds, a redoubt constructed in September, 1861, to command the approach to Alexandria by way of the valley of Four Mile Run. It had a perimeter of 360 yards and emplacements for 12 guns. — Map (db m5155) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 5 — Fort Runyon |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Runyon A half-mile to the southwest stood Fort Runyon, a large bastioned earthwork constructed in May 1861 to protect the Long Bridge over the Potomac. Its perimeter, 1484 yards, was about the same as that of the Pentagon. After the construction of the Arlington Line two miles to the west, Fort Runyon fell into disuse. Nearby Fort Jackson, at the Virginia end of the Long Bridge, was no more than a checkpoint to control traffic on the . . . — Map (db m5255) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 6 — Fort Scott |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Scott Here stood a detached lunette constructed in May, 1861, to guard the south flank of the defenses of Washington and named for General Winfield Scott, then General-in-Chief of the Army. It was subsequently relegated to an interior position by the construction of the defenses of Alexandria about 1¾ miles to the west. The Fort had a perimeter of 313 yards and emplacements for 8 guns. A remnant portion may be found immediately to the west. — Map (db m5257) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 9 — Fort Strong |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Strong Nearby to the north stood Fort Strong, a lunette marking the north end of the Arlington Line constructed in August 1861. It had a perimeter of 318 yards and emplacements for 15 guns. — Map (db m5112) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 14 — Fort Tillinghast |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Tillinghast Here stood Fort Tillinghast, a lunette in the Arlington Line constructed in August 1861. It had a perimeter of 298 yards and emplacements for 13 guns. A model of this fort, typical of all lunettes in the Arlington Line, can be seen at the Hume School museum of the Arlington Historical Society. — Map (db m5147) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 12 — Fort Whipple |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Whipple On the high ground to the northeast stood Fort Whipple, a bastioned earthwork built early in 1863 to support the Arlington Line built in 1861. It had a perimeter of 640 yards and emplacements for 47 guns. After the War, Fort Whipple was maintained as a permanent military post. In 1880, the name was changed to Fort Myer in honor of General Albert J. Myer, former post commander and first Chief Signal Officer of the United States Army. — Map (db m5140) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 11 — Fort Woodbury |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Fort Woodbury During the Civil War, the Union built a series of forts to defend Washington, D.C. By 1865 there were 33 earthen fortifications in the Arlington Line. Fort Woodbury (1861) was part of this defensive strategy. Built east of this marker, this lunette fort was named for Major D.P. Woodbury, the engineer who designed and oversaw the building of the entire Arlington Line. — Map (db m5138) |
| Virginia (Arlington County), Arlington — 10 — The Arlington Line |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 The Arlington Line Here the Arlington Line constructed in August, 1861, crossed the Georgetown-Falls Church road. 100 yards to the northwest stood Fort Morton, a lunette with a perimeter of 250 yards and emplacements for 17 guns; 200 yards to the southeast stood Fort Woodbury, a lunette with a perimeter of 275 yards and emplacements for 13 guns. — Map (db m5161) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — E-102 — Fort Lyon |
| | In this vicinity stood Fort Lyon, the major fortification on the left flank of the Federal defenses guarding the city of Washington during the Civil War. Named in honor of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, the fort covered an area of nine acres with its forty gun-emplacements. New York, Massachusetts and Ohio troops garrisoned here controlled the Hunting Creek valley, the Little River Turnpike. and the railroad depot as well as the town of Alexandria. On 10 June 1863, President Lincoln personally . . . — Map (db m8029) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Fort Washington—The Capital’s Guardian |
| | Fort Washington, directly across the river, is the oldest existing fortification erected for the defense of the national capital. It was begun in 1814 to replace the first fort which was destroyed during the War of 1812 with Great Britain.
George Washington selected the location in 1794 when construction of a fort on the Potomac was considered. The high masonry walls, gun positions, dry moat, and drawbridge all illustrate principles of military science and architecture used during the nation’s early life.
— Map (db m880) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Alexandria — Fort Willard |
| | Civil War Fort constructed in 1862 as part of the defense system for Washington, D.C. Site donated by the developers of Belle Haven Gene and Helen Olmi, Sr. Gene and Natalie Olmi, Jr. Fairfax County Park Authority — Map (db m13360) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Falls Church — T 40 — Lincoln Reviews Troops at Bailey’s Crossroads |
| | After the Union defeat on 21 July 1861 at the First Battle of Manassas, Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan as commander of the demoralized army. A superb organizer, McClellan rebuilt the army and on 20 November 1861 staged a formal military review here, between Munson's Hill and Bailey's Crossroads. Lincoln and his entire cabinet attended. Occupying nearly 200 acres, some 50,000 troops, "including seven divisions—seven regiments of cavalry, ninety regiments of infantry, [and] . . . — Map (db m180) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), McLean — Auxiliary Battery — Fort Marcy, Virginia |
| | An extensive line of rifle trenches connected the advance works of Fort Ethan Allen and Fort Marcy and extended to the west bank of the Potomac River. Auxiliary batteries for the field guns, strategically placed, provided additional strength to afford a full view of the fort. — Map (db m3079) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), McLean — Fort Marcy |
| | Civil War Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 The earthworks and other visible remnants of Fort Marcy and related batteries still remain. Fort Marcy was built in 1862 to protect the Chain Bridge approach to Washington, D.C. — Map (db m3030) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), McLean — Fort Marcy, Virginia |
| | A Civil War Defense of Washington The Virginia approaches to the Chain Bridge were guarded by Fort Marcy on the old Leesburg Turnpike and Fort Ethan Allen on the Military Road. The sites were occupied by Union troops on September 24, 1861, and the earthworks completed in short order. Fort Marcy was named for Brig. General Randolph B. Marcy, Chief of Staff for Major General George B. McClellan. The armament consisted of 17 guns with one platform vacant and 3 mortars. — Map (db m3078) |
| Virginia (Fairfax County), Seven Corners — T-49 — Fort Buffalo |
| | Nearby once stood Fort Buffalo. This
earthwork fortification was built by the 21st New York Infantry of the Union army in 1861 and named for the troops’ hometown. During the Civil War, a concentration of forts existed in the Seven Corners section of Falls Church. These structures were used in the Federal defense of Washington. First occupied by Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell’s troops during the First Manassas Campaign, the fort was briefly occupied by the Confederates following that Federal defeat . . . — Map (db m7399) |
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