Woodmont in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Fort C.F. Smith
Mr. Lincoln's Forts
| | Defenses of Washington, 1863-1865 | |
Fort C.F. Smith was constructed in 1863 on farmland appropriated from William Jewell. The fort was named in honor of Gen. Charles F. Smith, who was instrumental in the Union victory at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, in 1862. Fort Smith extended the line of fortifications, designed to protect the capital, to the Potomac River and commanded a tributary ravine not covered by nearby Fort Strong. Along with Forts Strong, Morton, and Woodbury, Fort Smith functioned as part of the outer defensive perimeter that protected the Aqueduct Bridge of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. The fort was a lunette with two bastions on the north side to thwart any attack up the ravines from the river. Fort Smith contained twenty-two gun emplacements, eight of which are visible today. The access road crossed Spout Run near Mason's Mill and proceeded up the hill to Fort Strong. Military Road linked Fort Smith and Fort Ethan Allen to the north.
The support buildings in which the garrison ate and slept stood behind you. They included barracks, mess halls, cook houses, officers' quarters, a barn, and the headquarters building. Period photographs show Arlington's landscape denuded of trees to provide clear lines of fire from Fort C.F. Smith and the adjacent forts.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series.
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Location. 38° 54.056′ N, 77° 5.447′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Woodmont. It is on 24th Street North 0.1 miles west of 23rd Road North, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2411 24th St N, Arlington VA 22207, 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: A different marker also named Fort C.F. Smith (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Fort C.F. Smith (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Fort C.F. Smith (about 700 feet away); Maywood (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Strong (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Dawson-Bailey House (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Dawson-Bailey Spring Site
Other markers no longer nearby. Fort C.F. Smith (has been replaced with this marker); a different marker also named Fort C.F. Smith (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Fort C.F. Smith (was about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker which had slightly different content.
Library of Congress
3. Gun crew of Company K, 2d New York Artillery,
in Fort C.F. Smith
in Fort C.F. Smith
Digitized by Google
4. Plan of Fort C.F. Smith
from J.G. Barnard, A Report on the Defenses of Washington (1871)
from J.G. Barnard, A Report on the Defenses of Washington (1871)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 542 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on March 16, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on August 14, 2023, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 4. submitted on August 15, 2023, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
