Fort Ellsworth (2)
Fort Ellsworth (2) (1861-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort first established in 1861 in present day Alexandria, Virginia. Named Fort Ellsworth after Union Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth who was killed by the proprietor while trying to remove a Confederate flag from an Alexandria hotel. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
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History of Fort Ellsworth
Established in 1861 as a large earthworks at the edge of Alexandria, Virginia. Union forces built the fort as a part of a ring of forts surrounding Washington, DC after the Union defeat at Bull Run. The fort mounted 29 guns and had a perimeter of 618 yards. Maps of the day show a rectangular outline with a bastion at each of the four corners all surrounded with earthworks.
Construction began on 25 May 1861 under the supervision of General John Newton (Cullum 1112). The fort was located at the current site of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial on Shuter's hill at King St. and Callahan Dr. in Alexandria.
Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.
Current Status
Traces of the fort remain in Alexandria, Virginia. The outline of northwest bastion reportedly can still be seen.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1492961
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Location: Just west of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Alexandria City, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.806 Long: -77.06867 |
See Also:
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 801-802.
Links:
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