Fort Whipple (1)

Fort Whipple (1) (1863-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort first established in 1863 in present day Arlington County, Virginia. Named Fort Whipple after Major GeneralAmiel W. Whipple, who died 7 May 1865 of wounds received at Chancellorsville. The fort was Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war but was later reestablished and became Fort Myer.

History of Fort Whipple (1)

Fort Whipple was also one of 33 forts on the Virginia side of the Potomac River that made up an outer defense line for Washington DC known as the Arlington Line.

Established in early 1863 as a bastioned quadrelateral earthwork with a perimeter of 640 yards and emplacements for 47 guns. Armament included eleven 4.5" siege rifles, four 12 pounder howitzers, six 12 pounder Napoleon guns and eight 12 pounder cannons. The fort perimeter enclosed the 43 gun platforms, magazines and several bombproofs.

The fort was essentially abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war but was later reestablished as a Signal Corps post. This was possible because the land the government had taken from Mrs. Robert E. Lee was not returned to her and remained government property.

The actual earthworks of Fort Whipple were reduced and the entrenchments covered over as the Signal Corps developed the post. The Fort Whipple name was retained until 1881, a fort in Arizona had also been named Fort Whipple in 1863, the resulting confusion over the years caused the Virginia fort to be renamed Fort Myer and it remains an active military post. See the Fort Myer page.

Current Status

No remains, marker only in Arlington County, Virginia. The site is on the active Fort Meyer post and access may be restricted. The marker is not on the active post.

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Location: Site is on the Fort Myer post in Arlington County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.88424 Long: -77.07835 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 290'

See Also:

• Fort Myer
• Washington DC Fort Ring
• Washington DC Defense System - U.S. Civil War

Sources:

• 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, page 102-103.
• 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 818.

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Whipple
• HMDB - Fort Whipple

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