Seminary Hill in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Outlying Gun Battery
Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site
| | City of Alexandria, Virginia | |
This outlying six-gun battery was constructed to cover the ravine where Interstate 395 is located today. The remains of a covered-way rifle trench that extended from the Northwest Bastion is visible near the park road. This trench provided protection for troops moving from the fort to support the outlying gun battery.
Erected by City of Alexandria, Virginia.
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, and the Virginia, The City of Alexandria series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.
Location. 38° 49.93′ N, 77° 6.22′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Seminary Hill. It can be reached from West Braddock Road east of North Howard Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4301 W Braddock Rd, Alexandria VA 22302, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Profile of the Fort (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northwest Bastion (about 600 feet away); Powder Magazine and Filling Room (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Rifle Trench (about 700 feet away); Fort Ward
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. Outlying Gun Battery (has been replaced with this marker); Profile of Fort (was about 600 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Northwest Bastion (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Powder Magazine and Filling Room (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Rifle Trench (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Fort Ward (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Bombproof (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Usgs
3. Outlying Gun Battery
The battery is heavily eroded but can be faintly seen as the "sideways L" shape within the red square here. This LiDAR imagery is from the USGS' public 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 17, 2026
4. Outlying Gun Battery
Only faintly visible, the remaining parapet of the gun battery is the slope/mound between the photographer and the black chain link fence. It is most evident at the far right where it quickly tapers down to ground level. In the foreground is the slight depression that used to be the interior of the battery. The rise at left is the southern leg of the parapet.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 17, 2026
5. Outlying Gun Battery
Exterior view. Nearest the camera, where the slight footpath cuts across from right, is the south-facing leg of the exterior parapet. Its corresponding ditch has eroded away. The corner of the fortification is just visible at far left, where a slight slope illustrates the bend of the earthwork off to the northeast. The leaf pattern in the middle of the photo is useful to show how the ground descends into the interior of the battery, and the vague remaining earthwork mounds partially surround that central depression to form a protective buffer.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 124 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 30, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
