Taylor Run in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Fort Ellsworth

Photographed by Richard E. Miller, July 25, 2011

1. Fort Ellsworth Marker

Inscription. Fort Ellsworth, one of 68 earthen forts built to protect Washington during the Civil War, was constructed in 1861. When completed, the fort had a perimeter of 618 yards and was an irregular Vauban-type star design of French origin. The fort was garrisoned by many regiments in the course of the war. The largest of its guns, a 100-pound Parrott, had a maximum range of 8,428 yards. The fort was named for Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, Commander of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves and a friend of President Lincoln. Colonel Ellsworth was the first Union officer to be killed in the Civil War. He was shot at Marshall House, Alexandria, after removing a Confederate flag from the tavern roof, and lay in state at the White House. He is buried in Mechanicville, New York.

Erected by Fort Ellsworth Condominiums.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Heroes • Notable Events • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Defenses of Washington, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 38° 48.458′ N, 77° 4.222′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Taylor Run. It is on Roberts Lane 0.3 miles north of Duke Street

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(Virginia Route 236), on the left when traveling north. Marker is on private property west of the Washington Masonic National Memorial - three blocks north of Duke Street in the Fort Ellsworth Condominium community - at the base of the flagpole, southeast of the community swimming pool. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Alexandria VA 22301, 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 Ellsworth (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Washington Masonic National Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire, F. & A.M. (approx. ¼ mile away); Emblem of Freemasonry / Groundbreaking (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Bloxham Cemetery: Portal to the Past (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Bloxham Family Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named The George Washington Masonic National Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hubert N. ("Dutch") Hoffman, Jr. (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Panoramic View of Alexandria (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . .
1. Fort Ellsworth. (Submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
2. Marshall House, Alexandria, VA

Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, 11th New York Fire Zouaves (1861) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Wikipedia, July 25, 2011

2. Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, 11th New York Fire Zouaves (1861)

. (Submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
3. Col. Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth. (Submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
4. Sergt. Francis E. Brownell, 11th New York Fire Zouaves. Medal of Honor recipient "for gallantry in shooting the murderer of Col. Ellsworth at Alexandria, VA, May 24, 1861.” (Submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Additional keywords. Shuter's Hill

Fort Ellsworth image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Matthew Brady, circa 1862

3. Fort Ellsworth

Photographed by Richard E. Miller, July 25, 2011

4. Fort Ellsworth Marker

The Naval Brigade, Lieutenant Perkins Commanding, Constructing the Main Battery on Shutter's Hill image. Click for full size.

Internet Archive

5. The Naval Brigade, Lieutenant Perkins Commanding, Constructing the Main Battery on Shutter's Hill

to Guard Alexandria, Va., and Command the Fairfax Road. From Frank Leslie's Scenes and Portraits of the Civil War by Frank Leslie. 1894. Page 115.

Fort Ellsworth Surviving Bastion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer

6. Fort Ellsworth Surviving Bastion

Though tucked into the apartment complex, one of Fort Ellsworth's bastions survives. During construction of the complex the bastion interior was backfilled and a tennis court was constructed on top of it. In this snip from the USGIS' 3D Elevation Program, the corner bastion is circled in red. The exterior parapet is the only identifiable feature on the ground, and erosion has caused it to be nearly indistinguishable from a naturally occurring hill.

Fort Ellsworth Parapet image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 19, 2024

7. Fort Ellsworth Parapet

Virtually indistinguishable from any other hill, this slope just west of the tennis court is the exterior parapet face of Fort Ellsworth's surviving corner bastion.

Fort Ellsworth Soil Staining image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer

8. Fort Ellsworth Soil Staining

Fort Ellsworth's outline is visible on the green between the condominiums and the George Washington National Masonic Memorial. The outline is visible due to the soil composition of the earthen parapets and berms as compared to the fill dirt used to level the ground later. This sort of soil "stain" is typical of leveled Civil War fortifications and is most visible from the air. To see the Fort Ellsworth outline most clearly, the viewer must be on the observation deck of the masonic memorial. This composite image is taken from that vantage point, with the fort's eastern corner marked with a red arrow and a corresponding arrow on the inset snip from Google Maps Satellite View; in the latter, the shape of the fort is clearly distinguishable. The pale outline corresponds with the bright green outline in the grass seen in the observation tower photo.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,998 times since then and 122 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 3. submitted on July 26, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4. submitted on July 25, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 5. submitted on January 22, 2021, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6, 7, 8. submitted on May 20, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.