Fort Slemmer

Fort Slemmer (1861-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War fort established in 1861 in Washington DC. Named Fort Slemmer after Lieutenant Adam Slemmer, (Cullum 1461), commander of Fort Pickens who refused to surrender the fort to the Confederates at the beginning of the war. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.

Fort Slemmer and 2d Pennsylvania Artillery

History of Fort Slemmer

Soldiers at the gate of Fort Slemmer

Established in 1861 as a small three gun earthen fort with a 93 yard perimeter. The fort was armed with three 32 pounder smoothbore cannons and one 8" howitzer. Garrisoned in February 1862 by the 26th New York Infantry.

A 17 May 1864 report from the Union Inspector of Artillery noted the following: "Fort Slemmer, Maj. Charles Hunsdon commanding. - Garrison, one company First Vermont Artillery – 3 commissioned officers, 1 ordnance sergeant, 73 men. Armament, three 32-pounder barbette, one 8-inch siege howitzer. Magazines, one; dry and in good order. Ammunition, full supply and serviceable. Implements, full sets and serviceable. Drill in artillery, ordinary. Drill in infantry, ordinary. Discipline, ordinary. Garrison of sufficient strength."

The fort was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the War.

Current Status

Some traces, no marker.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 531564

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Location: Washington DC. Maps & Images Lat: 38.93972 Long: -77.00139 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 233'

See Also:

• 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 139.

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Slemmer
• NPS Civil War Defenses of Washington - Appendix E: General Reports About the Defenses

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