Battery Martin Scott (1861-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Battery established in 1861 in Northwest Washington DC. Named Battery Martin Scott in G.O. 18, 30 Sep 1861. Battery was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
Established in August 1861 as a earthen gun battery on a bluff overlooking the Chain Bridge from the Washington DC side of the Potomac River. Emplacements for three guns.
A 17 May 1864 report from the Union Inspector of Artillery noted the following: "Battery Martin Scott, Colonel Gibson commanding.–Garrison, 4 enlisted men. Armament, two 12-pounder mountain howitzers, two 6-pounder James (rifled). Magazines, one; serviceable. Ammunition, supply sufficient; serviceable. Garrison is insufficient."
The battery was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
Location: Above Chain Bridge at 5618 Potomac Ave., Northwest Washington DC. The GNIS coordinates are provided for reference but they are clearly wrong. Zoom out to see the GNIS map point.
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 137.
