The Last Defense

The Last Defense. . , British warships took advantage of the width and depth of the Potomac River to sail up from the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 18 12. Existing defenses were too weak to stop them from shelling Alexandria. , Aware that the nation’s Capitol was still vulnerable 73 years later, President Grover Cleveland ordered Secretary of War William C. Endicott to evaluate the nation’s coastal defenses. , The military decided to build coastal artillery batteries on both sides of this bend in the Potomac, one at Fort Washington – visible across the river – and another at Fort Hunt – located just uphill from this point. , In 1898 the Spanish-American War broke out, and work on the two forts was accelerated as a defense against the formidable Spanish navy. The forts could fire upon enemy naval forces up to three miles down the Potomac. , A minefield was added in between the forts to force ships to slow down and stay within firing range. , No hostile shots were fired from either fort during the war. Both forts were abandoned by the military and given to the National Park Service in the 1930s. , [Two line renderings of the Potomac River Valley south of Washington, D.C. ] , The Spanish-American War era maps to the right show the detailed planning involved to prevent an invasion similar to the one of the War of 18 12. , In the 1897 map to the far right, arcs and red lines mark the firing ranges of each fort. , Key Sites along the Potomac:, 1 Washington, D.C. , 2 Alexandria, Virginia , 3 Fort Hunt , 4 Fort Washington , 5 Mount Vernon, The American military issued a passcode (above) of red and white lanterns to avoid firing on friendly ships at night. , Copy of a daily passcode order: , Fort Washington, Md. , July, 9th, 1898. , Countersign: Balls Bluff , 2/N , Parole: Grant , 1/R 1/R , By order of Lt.Col. Mechling. , [signed:] Percy Dalihyner , 2nd Lt., Pa. Vol. Inf. , Adjutant. ,