Fort Chaplin (1864-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War fort established in 1864 in Southeast Washington DC. Construction began in 1864 but the fort was never fully completed or garrisoned. Named for Colonel Daniel Chaplin, First Maine Heavy Artillery, who died 20 August 1864 of wounds received at Deep Bottom, Virginia, during the U.S. Civil War. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
Built out as a 12 gun fortification with a perimeter of about 225 yards. Only one gun was actually emplaced, a single 24-pounder siege gun. No buildings.
Site abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
Current Status
Fort Chaplin Marker Detail
Marker and Earthworks visible in Fort Chaplin Park, Southeast Washington DC.
Cooling, Benjamin F. III and Owen, Valton H. II, Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington, Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 0810863073, ISBN 9780810863071, 334 pages.
Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 134
