Battery Rodgers

Battery Rodgers (1863-1867) - A Union U.S. Civil War Battery first established in 1863 in present day Alexandria City, Virginia. Named Battery Rodgers after Navy Captain George W. Rodgers, who was killed at Charleston Harbor 17 Aug 1863. Abandoned in 1867.

Battery Rodgers 15" Rodman in Background, 8" Parrott Gun in Foreground	Battery Rodgers Magazine
15" Rodman Gun at Fort Foote Perhaps the Original Gun From Battery Rodgers

History of Battery Rodgers

Battery Rodgers 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.

Battery Rodgers 15" Rodman Gun

Established in August 1863 as a water defense on the Potomac River at Alexandria City. The battery was built on a bluff at Jones Point at the south end of Alexandria with a clear view of the Potomac River. The battery had a perimeter of 330 yards and emplacements for six seacoast guns. Armament included five 200 pounder Parrott rifles and one 15" Rodman gun.

This was a large battery with a face of 30 yards and flanking side curtains of about 25 yards. Supporting the large seacoast guns were two magazines and two bombproofs. Other buildings included two barracks, a hospital, a prison and a slaughterhouse.

Battery Rodgers was complemented on the other side of the river in Maryland by Fort Foote which was similarly but more heavily armed. Fort Foote had two 15" Rodman guns emplaced by the end of the war. One of the original Fort Foote 15" Rodmans remains in place today along with a second 15" Rodman that was originally at at Battery Rodgers.

The fort was abandoned in 1867, well after the end of the war.

Current Status

No remains, three markers at Jones Point in Alexandria City, Virginia. the actual Battery Rodgers 15" Rodman gun is located across the river at Fort Foote in Maryland.

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Location: Jones Point, Alexandria City, Virginia. Map point is approximate. Maps & Images Lat: 38.79524 Long: -77.04141 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 28'

See Also:

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

Sources:

• 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 823.

Links:

• North American Forts - Battery Rodgers
• Wikipedia - Battery Rodgers
• HMDB - Battery Rodgers
• HMDB - The Civil War and Battery Rodgers
• HMDB - Guarding the Potomac

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