Fort Ethan Allen (2)
Fort Ethan Allen (2) (1861-1865) - A U.S. Civil War post established in 1861 by Union forces in Arlington County, Virginia. Named for patriot Major General Ethan Allen who captured Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775. Part of the Washington DC Defense System. Abandoned at the end of the war in 1865.
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Fort Ethan Allen (2) History
Fort Ethan Allen 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.
Fort Ethan Allen was a large earthworks fortification built in September 1861 by volunteer troops from Vermont. The fort commanded the approaches to the Chain Bridge that crossed the Potomac River into Washington DC. The fort had a perimeter of 736 yards and garrisoned as many as 1000 troops. Armament included three 6-pounder guns, four 24-pounder guns, three 32-pounder guns, two 8-inch howitzers, three 10-pounder Parrott rifles, eleven 30-pounder Parrott rifles, six 12-pounder Napoleon guns, four 10-inch mortars and two 24-pounder Coehorn mortars.
Current Status
Part of Fort Ethan Allen Park, Arlington County, Virginia. Overgrown earthworks are visible but no period cannons or mounts are in place.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1492064
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Location: Fort Ethan Allen Park, 4311 Old Glebe Road, Arlington County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.9244444 Long: -77.1236111 |
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 808
Links:
Visited: 26 May 2013