Lyon Park in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Fort Tillinghast

Historical Site

— Defenses of Washington 1861 - 1865 —

Fort Tillinghast Marker image. Click for full size.

February 2, 2008

1. Fort Tillinghast Marker

Inscription. 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.

Erected 1965 by Arlington County, Virginia. (Marker Number 14.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Defenses of Washington series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 38° 52.71′ N, 77° 5.03′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Lyon Park. Marker is at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard (U.S. 50) and North 2nd Street, on the right when traveling south on Arlington Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Arlington VA 22201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Orville Wright’s First Virginia Flight (approx. 0.2 miles away); World’s First Public Passenger Flight (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Whipple (approx. 0.2 miles away); Centennial of Military Aviation (approx. ¼ mile away); 12th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

(approx. ¼ mile away); Thomas Etholen Selfridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Famous Firsts in Aeronautics at Fort Myer (approx. ¼ mile away); First Flight of an Airplane on a U.S. Army Installation (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

More about this marker. In the center of the marker is a map of the Washington Defenses, with a red (weathered) arrow pointing out the location of Fort Tillinghast.

Additional commentary.
1. Fort Tillinghast Particulars
From Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington, by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III and Walton H. Owen II:

The fort stood near 205 North Wayne Street, but no sections remain today. It was named in honor of Captain Otis H. Tillinghast, Quartermaster, killed at the First Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Along with Forts Cass, Woodbury, Morton, and Strong, Fort Tillinghast was a lunette which covered the approaches to the Aqueduct Bridge (near the modern Key Bridge).

Within the 298 yard perimeter were 12 gun emplacements. The armament included four 24-pdr guns, one 24-pdr

February 2, 2008

2. Fort Tillinghast Marker

View to the south.

field howitzer, four 30-pdr Parrott rifles, two 20-pdr Parrott rifles, and two 24-pdr Coehorn mortars. The fort contained two magazines and one bombproof barracks. A set of breastworks afforded the infantry garrison positions adjacent to the fort.

Garrison units at different times included the 16th Maine Infantry, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, 4th New York Heavy Artillery, and the 145th and 138th Ohio Infantry.

— Submitted February 4, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2008. This page has been viewed 2,186 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 4, 2008. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.