Crystal City in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Fort Runyon after the Civil War
Following the end of the Civil War, Fort Runyon was dismantled, the garrison sent home, and the land returned to its owner, James Roach. Squatters — among them freed blacks — occupied the vacant fort, scavenging its timbers for building materials and firewood. Some years later, a brickworks located nearby used clay from the fort's embankments for raw material. And during World War II, the site was a staging area for the construction of the Pentagon.
"…forts built in the early days of the conflict … were still standing in the suburbs. Plundered of their lumber by nearby farmers, they now served as shelter for the many freedmen … from the nearby plantations of Maryland and Virginia, from the wrecks of battery wagons and sentry boxes, they had improvised the flimsiest constructions."
James Huntington Whyte, from The Uncivil War: Washington During the Reconstruction 1865-1878
Grand Review at Washington — Sherman's Veterans Crossing Long Bridge, May 1865, from Harper's Weekly, June 10, 1865. Soldiers passed through Fort Runyon and crossed the Long Bridge one final time for the Grand Review and home.
Erected by The Boeing Company.
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Location. 38° 51.916′ N, 77° 2.969′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Crystal City. Marker is on 6th Street South east of Long Bridge Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 929 Long Bridge Drive, Arlington VA 22202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Known Units Garrisoned at Fort Runyon (here, next to this marker); The Union Soldier (here, next to this marker); Arlington Transformed by War (a few steps from this marker); The Defenses of Washington (a few steps from this marker); The March Across the Long Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Fort Runyon: Defending the Capital (within shouting distance of this marker); A Historic Junction (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); New and Renewed Land (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Library of Congress
4. Grand Review at Washington
Sherman's Veterans Crossing the Long Bridge,
May 24, 1865
Sherman's Veterans Crossing the Long Bridge,
May 24, 1865
Soldiers passed through Fort Runyon and crossed the Long Bridge one final time for the Grand Review and home.
From Harper's Weekly June 10, 1865.
From Harper's Weekly June 10, 1865.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 284 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on January 21, 2021, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on June 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
