Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Battery Bailey

By Richard E. Miller, April 4, 2009

1. Battery Bailey Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

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 the sole remnant of this network in Montgomery County. After the war, the property returned to Samuel Shoemaker, Jr. who sold it to Joseph Collins in 1874. The National Capital Park and Planning Commission purchased the property from the Collins family in 1951.

Erected by Montgomery County Park Commission, Department of Parks.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts or Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Defenses of Washington series list.

Location. 38° 57.131′

By Richard E. Miller, April 4, 2009

2. Battery Bailey Marker

N, 77° 6.568′ W. Marker is in Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is on Elliott Road 0.4 miles west of Ashfield Road, on the right when traveling west. Elliott Road ends at the entrance to Westmoreland Hills Community Park, and the marker is at the north edge of the parking area, just south of the restored earthworks. Elliott Road is accessible from Massachusetts Avenue (Maryland Route 396) via Duvall Drive in southern Bethesda, a few blocks northwest of Western Avenue/Dalecarlia Resevoir Parkway, Northwest, across the District of Columbia border. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5315 Elliott Road, Bethesda MD 20816, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Col. Guilford Dudley Bailey (a few steps from this marker); Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 5 (approx. half a mile away); Fort Sumner (approx. ¾ mile away); Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 6 (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Washington and Glen Echo Railroad (approx. 0.9 miles away); Lockhouse 6 (approx. 0.9 miles away); A Way for Fish (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fort Bayard (approx. one mile away in District of Columbia). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bethesda.

Also see . . . Battery Bailey. (PDF) ACHS form, 1978. (Submitted on February 7, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Interpretive panels north of the maker - restored battery earthworks in the woods beyond image. Click for full size.

By Richard E. Miller, April 4, 2009

3. Interpretive panels north of the maker - restored battery earthworks in the woods beyond

Additional comments.
1. Battery Bailey
From "Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington," by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III and Walton H. Owen II:

Battery Bailey linked with Battery Benson to cover the Powder Mill Branch valley, and the rear of Fort Sumner. Six platforms supported field guns or possibly siege guns.

— Submitted April 5, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

Colonel Guilford Dudley Bailey<br>of the 1st New York Light Artillery image. Click for full size.

Library of Congress, May 20, 2016

4. Colonel Guilford Dudley Bailey
of the 1st New York Light Artillery

died at the battle of Seven Pines May 31, 1862.

Sketch Map of Battery Bailey image. Click for full size.

By ACHS Summary Form

5. Sketch Map of Battery Bailey

Civil War Earthworks image. Click for full size.

By Michael Dwyer, April 2, 1975

6. Civil War Earthworks

This photo of the Civil War earthworks at Battery Bailey by M. Dwyer appeared as an attachment to the ACHS Summary Form, M: 35-32.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,813 times since then and 94 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 4, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4. submitted on February 6, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5, 6. submitted on February 7, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.