Washington DC Fort Ring

{"selectable":false,"height":"-800","width":"-800"} Washington DC Fort Ring - A ring of Union U.S. Civil War Forts scattered around the capital city's perimeter was erected early in the war to protect Washington, D.C. from the threat of Confederate assault. This ring included fortifications in Virginia and Maryland as well as Washington DC. By 1865 the Defenses of Washington DC were said to included some 68 named forts, 93 detached batteries, 20 miles of rifle pits, blockhouses at three key points and 32 miles of military roads. At the beginning of the war there was only a single fort, Fort Washington, protecting the city. These numbers are difficult to reconcile because of name changes, consolidations and upgrading of batteries to named forts. There is also confusion about what fortifications are included especially the permanent fortifications and the outlying fortifications at Baileys crossroads and Seven Corners. What can be said is that the city was ringed with connected fortifications and that the Virginia side defenses were especially dense with many fortification within close range of each other. The 37 mile circle of fortifications had platforms for some 1,500 field and siege guns with some 807 guns and 98 mortars in place. The list below attempts to include all of the named fortifications that surrounded Washington DC during the U.S. Civil War. It does not include camps, barracks, unnamed batteries and other administrative facilities. See Also: Virginia All Maryland All Washington DC All Arlington Line - U.S. Civil War Washington DC Defense System - U.S. Civil War Resources: Civil War Defenses of Washington Historical Marker Database - Defenses of Washington Markers Washington DC Fort Ring (edit list) Fort State County Owner Visible Perim Guns GPS Notes Fort Albany (1) VA Arlington James Roach and heirs, J.R. Johnson No 429 yds 8/4 38.86509, -77.06569 Battery Bailey (1) MD Montgomery Shoemaker family Yes 0/6 38.95261, -77.11028 Fort Baker (3) DC Southeast Sarah E. Anderson, Ann A.C. Naylor; Susan M. Naylor No 492 yds 22/3 38.86222, -76.96417 Fort Barnard VA Arlington Philip J. Buckey, Sewall B. Corbettt No 250 yds 19/3 38.84919, -77.09195 Battery Bayard (2) DC Northwest Unk No 0/3 38.95543, -77.09114 Fort Bayard (1) DC Northwest Unk No 123 yds 6/2 38.95528, -77.09167 Fort Bennett (3) VA Arlington Wm. B. Ross, John H. Bogue, B.B. Lloyd No 146 yds 5/0 38.90025, -77.07863 Fort Berry VA Arlington Sewall B. Corbettt No 215 yds 4/6 38.85559, -77.09161 Fort Buffalo VA Fairfax No 38.87201, -77.15587 Fort Bunker Hill (1) DC Northeast Henry Quinn Yes 205 yds 13/0 38.93539, -76.98775 Fort C.F. Smith (2) VA Arlington Thomas Jewell Yes 368 yds 19/6 38.90083, -77.09056 Battery Cameron DC Northwest J.H. Phillips No 4/0 38.91564, -77.0888 aka Battery Georgetown Battery Carroll DC Southeast Unk No 0/4 38.83709, -77.00403 Fort Carroll (3) DC Southeast Fenwick Young Yes 340 yds 14/8 38.83735, -77.00736 Fort Cass (2) VA Arlington Mary Randolph Lee, U.S. Government No 288 yds 3/1 38.88519, -77.08203 aka Fort Ramsay (1) Chain Bridge Battery DC Northwest Unk No 2/0 38.930326, -77.111932 Fort Chaplin DC Southeast Selby B. Scaggs Yes 225 yds 1/11 38.88917, -76.94306 Fort Corcoran VA Arlington William H. Ross No 576 yds 5/5 38.89626, -77.07592 Fort Craig (3) VA Arlington Septimus Brown, Samuel Carison, Elliot No 324 yds 12/1 38.87041, -77.08165 Fort Davis (7) DC Southeast Major Sayles J. Bowen, Daniel F. Lee Yes 12/2 38.86639, -76.95056 Fort De Russy (1) DC Northwest B.T. Swart Yes 190 yds 11/2 38.96331, -77.051 Fort DuPont (2) DC Southeast Michael Caton Yes? 200 yds 9/6 38.87279, -76.94021 Fort Ellsworth (2) VA Alexandria Henry Rozier Dulany, Rebecca Ann Dulany Some? 618 yds 20/7 38.806, -77.06867 Fort Ethan Allen (2) VA Arlington Stephen & Mrs. E.M. Meredith Yes 736 yds 45/4 38.92444, -77.12361 Fort Farnsworth VA Fairfax No 255 yds 10/3 38.78861, -77.07361 Fort Foote (1) MD Prince George's Francis W. Rozier & wife, Mrs. M.A. Hill,, Benedict Edelin Yes 10/0 38.76764, -77.0287 Battery Gaines DC Northwest 38.93917, -77.08889 Fort Gaines (4) DC Northwest William A.T. Maddox; Mr. Loughborough No 171 yds 6/1 38.93611, -77.0875 Battery Garesche (2) VA Arlington Margeret B. Dangerfield No 166 yds 8/0 38.83843, -77.09698 Fort Greble (1) DC Southwest William & Thomas M. Berry, John C. McFerron, Lucien and Miss Eliza Berry Yes 327 yds 17/0 38.82590, -77.01461 Fort Haggerty VA Arlington Owen; Mary Murray & heirs, Thomas Cozar, Guardian No 128 yds 4/0 38.89611, -77.06863 Battery Jameson MD Prince George's John Veitch Yes 80 yds 1/14 38.92796, -76.95219 Fort Jackson (8) VA Arlington No 38.87129, -77.04141 Fort Kearny (5) DC Northwest John Magee Unk 320 yds 10/1 38.94833, -77.05833 Battery Kemble DC Northwest William A.T. Maddox Yes 2/0 38.93067, -77.09572 Battery Kingsbury (2) DC Northwest Trace 0/9 38.96333, -77.04417 Fort Lincoln (2) DC Northeast John Veitch No 466 yds 34/0 38.92591, -76.95837 Fort Lyon (3) VA Fairfax Unk Yes 937 yds 38/0 38.79389, -77.07778 Battery Mahan (2) DC Northeast No 0/4 38.895, -76.94444 Fort Mahan DC Northeast Unk Yes 352 yds 22/2 38.8944444, -76.9441667 Fort Mansfield (2) MD Montgomery Thomas Dean family, Samuel Shoemaker No 220 yds 11/2 38.95297, -77.10164 Fort Marcy (3) VA Fairfax Gilbert Vanderwerken Yes 338 yds 20/1 38.93441, -77.12656 Battery Martin Scott DC Northwest Scott James Weaver C & O Canal Co. Trace 3/0 38.93056, -77.09444 Fort McPherson (3) VA Arlington No 38.87273, -77.07381 Fort Meigs (2) MD Prince George's Mrs. Stow Mr. Joseph Trimble No 500 yds 25/8 38.87351, -76.92941 Battery Morris (3) DC Northeast No 0/7 38.92889, -76.97694 Fort Morton (2) VA Arlington No 250 yds 6/4 38.89192, -77.0871 Fort Munson VA Fairfax Daniel O. Munson No 38.86026, -77.14507 Fort O'Rourke VA Fairfax No 160 yds 13/3 38.78704, -77.07319 Battery Parrott (2) DC Northwest Ellen J. King John H. King Trace 2/0 38.92055, -77.0905 Fort Ramsay (2) VA Arlington Charles Upton No 38.87284, -77.14623 aka Fort Upton (2) Battery Reno DC Northwest No 7/3 38.95571, -77.07614 Fort Reno (1) DC Northwest Giles Dyer Mrs. James C. Dyer Miles Dyer No 917 yds 21/6 38.952768, -77.077804 aka Fort Pennsylvania Fort Reynolds (2) VA Arlington George W. Chase, L.E. Chittenden, Edward B. Powell, Mary Walker No 300 yds 13/1 38.83824, -77.09436 Fort Richardson (3) VA Arlington Yes 316 yds 14/3 38.85773, -77.07783 Fort Ricketts DC Southeast J.H. Smith George Washington Talburtt Yes 123 yds 4/0 38.85786, -76.97548 aka Battery Ricketts Battery Rodgers VA Alexandria Samuel O. Bogot Manassas Gap Railroad No 330 yds 6/0 38.79587, -77.04385 Battery Rossell DC Northwest No 0/8 38.95457, -77.06956 Fort Runyon VA Arlington James Roach and heirs No 1484 yds 38.86985, -77.04508 Fort Saratoga DC Northeast John B. Kibbey William. Kibbey Executor, Ann McDaniels No 153 yds 8/1 38.92944, -76.97833 Fort Scott (5) VA Arlington L.E. Chittenden, Hunter family Yes 313 yds 10/0 38.8475, -77.05898 Fort Sedgwick (2) DC Southeast John Kennedy No 38.88417, -76.93639 aka Kennedy's Hill Fort Fort Scaggs DC Northeast Selby B. Scaggs No 0/6 38.89112, -76.94855 Not Armed aka Fort Craven Fort of Circular Form Battery Sill DC Northwest Trace 0/9 38.96111, -77.03833 Fort Simmons MD Montgomery S.F. & L. Burrows Charles Shoemaker No 177 yds 8/3 38.95209, -77.09834 Battery Simmons MD Montgomery S.F. & L. Burrows Charles Shoemaker No 0/4 38.95182, -77.09927 Fort Slemmer DC Northeast Henry Douglass No 93 yds 4/0 38.93972, -77.00139 Fort Slocum (1) DC Northwest John F. Callan, L.E. Chittenden Mary Walker No 655 yds 25/15 38.96016, -77.01386 Battery Smead DC Northwest B.T. Swart No 170 yds 4/4 38.96139, -77.06056 Fort Snyder (2) DC Southeast Joseph & Thomas Jenkins, Badcock Williams No 210 yds 8/0 38.84694, -76.9825 Fort Stanton (2) DC Southeast George Washington Talburtt Yes 322 yds 16/8 38.86139, -76.97722 Fort Stevens (2) DC Northwest Emory Chapel/Methodist Church Elizabeth Thomas (?) Rec 375 yds 19/3 38.96436, -77.02922 aka Fort Massachusetts (2) Fort Strong (1) VA Arlington Thomas Dawson, Allen Pearce No 318 yds 15/2 38.89694, -77.08806 aka Fort DeKalb Fort Sumner (3) MD Montgomery Albert Lodge No 843 yds 30/13 38.95669, -77.12247 * Fort Taylor (7) VA Falls Church L. William Taylor No 6 38.87476, -77.15898 Battery Terrill (2) DC Northwest No 0/7 38.95694, -77.06111 Fort Thayer DC Northeast Charles B. Calvert, Executor No 180 yds 8/0 38.92884, -76.97167 Fort Tillinghast VA Arlington Columbus Alexander No 298 yds 13/1 38.8785, -77.08383 Battery Totten DC Northeast George Thomas Yes 38.95070, -77.00552 Fort Totten (2) DC Northeast George Thomas Yes 272 yds 20/0 38.9479, -77.00519 Battery Vermont DC Northwest U.S. Government No 3/1 38.9375, -77.11111 Fort Wagner (2) DC Southeast Judson Richardson No 166 yds 5/0 38.86, -76.96972 aka Fort Good Hope Fort Ward (1) VA Alexandria Yes 815 yds 24/0 36/10 38.83026, -77.10264 Fort Washington (1) MD Prince George's Yes 38.71112, -77.03485 Fort Weed VA Fairfax No 253 yds 11/1 38.78929, -77.07832 Fort Whipple (1) VA Arlington Mary Randolph Lee U.S. Government No 38.88424, -77.07835 * Fort Williams (4) VA Alexandria Samuel Cooper, Willam Silvey, George A. Smith, John Williams Some 250 yds 15/0 38.8118, -77.09 Fort Willard VA Fairfax Samuel R. Johnson Josiah Willard Yes 240 yds 16/2 38.78274, -77.06617 Fort Woodbury VA Arlington John Lambden No 275 yds 13/1 38.88966, -77.08281 Fort Worth (2) VA Alexandria William Silvey No 463 yds 28/3 38.81472, -77.09889