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fortifications, so numerous in all this region, and now so unsightly with their bare, precipitous sides will remain as historic monuments, grass-grown and picturesque memorials of an epoch of terror and suffering: they will serve to make our country dearer and more interesting to us, and afford fit soil for poetry to root itself in: for this is a plant which thrives best in spots where blood has been spilt long ago, and grows in abundant clusters in old ditches, such as the moat around Fort
Ellsworth will be a century hence.
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274:
313:, the soldiers previously assigned to construction duties marched instead to battle. In the days that followed the Union defeat at Bull Run, panicked efforts were made to defend Washington from what was perceived as an imminent Confederate attack. The makeshift trenches and earthworks that resulted were largely confined to Arlington and the direct approaches to Washington.
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morning, Thanksgiving Day. So we were obliged to give up our comfortable quarters, and take up our line of march for an unfinished earthwork, on the outskirts of our line of fortifications; where instead of spending our time drilling on the guns, and teaching our men something useful, we are forced to take up our axes and shovels, and go to work upon the Fort.
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406:
Now we are in Fort
Ellsworth...It is a very fine piece of work on a splendid commanding position, overlooking Washington, Alexandria, and all the surrounding country, for fifteen or twenty miles. When we came in here...it was occupied by four hundred 'man -of-war's men:' in fact, a complete frigate's
300:
While the
Potomac River forts were being built, planning and surveying was ordered for an enormous new ring of forts to protect the city. Unlike the fortifications under construction, the new forts would defend the city in all directions, not just the most direct route through Arlington. In mid-July,
331:
In no quarter were the dispositions for defense such as to offer a vigorous resistance to a respectable body of the enemy, either in the position and numbers of the troops or the number and character of the defensive works... not a single defensive work had been commenced on the
Maryland side. There
336:
To remedy the situation, one of McClellan's first orders upon taking command was to greatly expand the defenses of
Washington. At all points of the compass, forts and entrenchments would be constructed in sufficient strength to defeat any attack. Alexandria, which contained the southern terminus of
422:
My dearest L: I received your lovely letter, and would have answered it immediately, but that I was taken sick the day after I got it, and have been sick ever since. We received orders late
Wednesday night to move our two companies which had been guarding Fort Ellsworth to Fort Worth, the next
260:
flying above it, he was shot and killed by James
Jackson, the proprietor. Ellsworth was one of the first men killed in the American Civil War. Throughout the remainder of the war, Alexandria would lean strongly towards the Confederate government, necessitating continued occupation by a Union
442:
We paid a visit to Fort
Ellsworth, and from it ramparts (which have been heaped up out of the muddy soil within the last few months, and will require still a year or two to make them verdant) we had a beautiful view of the Potomac, a truly majestic river, and the surrounding country. The
407:
crew – and they have been spending the past two months in putting the fort in order, just as sailors do, sodding and whitewashing everything, and planting evergreens, until the inside of the works is the very picture of neatness.
376:, who was in charge of the forts south of Four Mile Run, supervised the construction and managed the flow of men and material. The Fort was constructed on Shuter's Hill to the east of Samuel Cooper's Cameron plantation house.
500:
J.G. Barnard and W.F. Barry, "Report of the
Engineer and Artillery Operations of the Army of the Potomac from Its Organization to the Close of the Peninsular Campaign," (New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1863), pp.
281:
Over the seven weeks that followed the occupation of northern
Virginia, forts were constructed along the banks of the Potomac River and at the approaches to each of the three major bridges (
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was nothing to prevent the enemy shelling the city from heights within easy range, which could be occupied by a hostile column almost without resistance.
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In Ellsworth we had very nice quarters within the works, and everything convenient, and were able to crib a little time every day to ourselves.
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225:, (which feeds into it). From its position on one of the highest points west of Alexandria, the fort overlooked the
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The occupation of Northern Virginia was peaceful, with the sole exception of the town of Alexandria. There, as
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Construction began on May 25, 1861. The perimeter was 618 yards, with room for 29 guns, including one
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The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,
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327:. Upon arriving in Washington, McClellan was appalled by the condition of the city's defenses.
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70 Volumes (Washington, DC: The Government Printing Office, 1880–1901) I, Volume 5, p. 11.
362:
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655:"Fort Ward Museum, "Voices from the Past." Kitching, J. Howard Letter, November 18, 1861"
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to take charge of construction to begin creation of a really complete system of defenses
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was named commander of the military district of Washington and the subsequently renamed
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and one of the largest ports in the Chesapeake Bay, was an object of "anxious study."
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On June 26, 1861, 30 – 10 Pounder Rifled Cannon were tested at Fort Ellsworth.
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562:"The Civil War Defenses of Washington: Historic Resource Study (Appendix I)"
262:
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729:
Historic Resource Study of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
599:
Cooling III, Benjamin Franklin; Owen II, Walton H. (6 October 2009).
190:
602:
Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington
627:"Reports From Alexandria; Test Of Rifled Cannon At Fort Ellsworth"
348:
272:
488:"Alexandria Library, Diary of Henry B. Whittington, May 31, 1861"
514:(New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1941), pp. 101–110.
759:
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372:, oversaw the construction of Fort Ellsworth, and Gen.
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Archaeological Investigations At 206 North Quaker Lane
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473:Ames W. Williams, "The Occupation of Alexandria,"
458:was built on Shuter's hill, the site of the fort.
217:, Fort Ellsworth was situated on a hill north of
1393:Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia
577:Civil War Defences, Chronology, NPS, 29-Oct-2004
316:On July 26, 1861, five days after the battle,
771:
8:
456:George Washington Masonic National Memorial
1378:Military installations established in 1861
778:
764:
756:
672:. New York, Hurd and Houghton. p. 39.
651:. New York, Hurd and Houghton. p. 31.
22:
589:, Series I, Volume 5, Chapter 14, p. 684.
551:, Series I, Volume 5, Chapter 14, p. 680.
539:, Series I, Volume 5, Chapter 14, p. 679.
477:, Volume 11, (Winter 1961–62), pp. 33–34.
254:11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
293:) connecting Virginia to Washington and
466:
256:), entered a local hotel to remove the
1383:Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
1373:Government buildings completed in 1861
449:1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery Regiment
33:Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
7:
1388:American Civil War forts in Virginia
419:Fort Worth, Va., December 3, 1861.
739:The Atlantic, Hawthorne War Matters
605:. Scarecrow Press. pp. 38–43.
415:, on Wednesday, November 27, 1861.
209:. Built in the weeks following the
1403:1865 disestablishments in Virginia
684:"Hawthorne, Nathaniel, July 1862,
434:visited the Fort, as detailed the
277:Washington D.C. Fortifications map
197:fortification constructed west of
54:Brady Photograph of Fort Ellsworth
14:
301:this work was interrupted by the
248:, commander of the New York Fire
48:
1398:1861 establishments in Virginia
823:Military District of Washington
447:In September, 1864, Company F,
813:Department of Washington, D.C.
269:Washington D.C. fortifications
227:Orange and Alexandria Railroad
1:
828:Department of the Rappahanock
307:Army of Northeastern Virginia
201:, as part of the defenses of
833:Defenses of Washington, D.C.
668:Kitching, J. Howard (1873).
647:Kitching, J. Howard (1873).
145:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
16:For the fort in Kansas, see
1347:National Park Service (Web)
1419:
451:was assigned to the Fort.
15:
1342:
818:Department of the Potomac
751:Trails.com USCGS location
686:Chiefly About War Matters
402:occupied Fort Ellsworth:
345:Planning and construction
339:Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
47:
38:
30:
838:Department of Washington
303:First Battle of Bull Run
237:Occupation of Alexandria
1352:Map of defenses in 1865
670:"More than a Conqueror"
649:"More than a Conqueror"
18:Fort Ellsworth (Kansas)
1105:Battery Alexander (MD)
808:Department of the East
523:U.S., War Department,
512:Reveille in Washington
445:
428:
409:
400:6th New York Artillery
354:
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278:
724:, Kitching, J. Howard
722:More than a Conqueror
440:
417:
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381:100-pound Parrott gun
352:
329:
276:
231:Little River Turnpike
81:38.80600°N 77.06867°W
1150:Battery Martin Scott
891:Battery Rodgers (VA)
881:Fort Washington (MD)
199:Alexandria, Virginia
41:Alexandria, Virginia
1130:Fort Mansfield (MD)
1125:Battery Bailey (MD)
1120:Battery Benson (MD)
857:Army of the Potomac
432:Nathaniel Hawthorne
325:Army of the Potomac
321:George B. McClellan
86:38.80600; -77.06867
77: /
1219:Northeast Quadrant
1083:Northwest Quadrant
787:American Civil War
744:2008-10-10 at the
634:The New York Times
475:Virginia Cavalcade
396:J. Howard Kitching
355:
353:Fort Ellsworth map
279:
246:Elmer E. Ellsworth
207:American Civil War
179:American Civil War
110:Controlled by
1360:
1359:
1195:Battery Kingsbury
1110:Fort Simmons (MD)
612:978-0-8108-6307-1
411:They moved on to
361:assigned General
359:General McClellan
309:marched south to
184:
183:
1410:
1241:Fort Bunker Hill
1100:Fort Sumner (MD)
1024:Battery Garesche
964:Fort Tillinghast
919:Fort C. F. Smith
914:Fort Ethan Allen
794:Washington, D.C.
780:
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696:. Archived from
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636:. June 27, 1861.
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587:Official Records
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564:. Archived from
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549:Official Records
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537:Official Records
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510:Margaret Leech,
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357:In August 1861,
258:Confederate flag
203:Washington, D.C.
105:Site information
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1155:Battery Vermont
1140:Battery Parrott
1135:Battery Cameron
1115:Fort Davis (MD)
1095:Fort Kirby (MD)
1090:Fort Cross (MD)
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1059:Fort Farnsworth
1004:Fort Richardson
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1236:Fort Slemmer
1210:Fort Stevens
1205:Battery Sill
1200:Fort DeRussy
1074:Fort Willard
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1009:Fort Barnard
994:Fort Jackson
974:Fort Buffalo
959:Fort Whipple
924:Fort Bennett
721:
702:. Retrieved
698:the original
693:The Atlantic
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570:. Retrieved
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283:Chain Bridge
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175:Battles/wars
128:Site history
31:Part of the
1334:Fort Greble
1324:Fort Snyder
1309:Fort Wagner
1294:Fort Dupont
1251:Fort Thayer
1231:Fort Totten
1226:Fort Slocum
1180:Fort Kearny
1165:Fort Gaines
1160:Fort Bayard
999:Fort Runyon
989:Fort Albany
979:Fort Ramsay
944:Fort Morton
929:Fort Strong
801:Departments
387:Wartime use
374:John Newton
287:Long Bridge
223:Cameron Run
205:during the
151:In use
84: /
60:Coordinates
1367:Categories
1304:Fort Baker
1299:Fort Davis
1289:Fort Meigs
1279:Fort Mahan
1039:Fort Worth
1019:Fort Scott
1014:Fort Berry
984:Fort Craig
909:Fort Marcy
874:Approaches
862:XXII Corps
848:Union Army
704:2017-03-07
572:2008-12-10
462:References
413:Fort Worth
295:Georgetown
213:defeat at
167:Demolished
123:Dismantled
114:Union Army
72:77°04′07″W
69:38°48′22″N
1170:Fort Reno
1064:Fort Weed
1054:Fort Lyon
1034:Fort Ward
954:Fort Cass
430:In 1862,
398:with the
318:Maj. Gen.
305:. As the
195:earthwork
159:Materials
154:1861–1865
120:Condition
790:Defenses
742:Archived
436:Atlantic
311:Manassas
263:garrison
215:Bull Run
872:Potomac
250:Zouaves
243:Colonel
850:Forces
609:
289:, and
229:, the
221:, and
191:timber
189:was a
630:(PDF)
501:9–10.
394:Col.
368:Gen.
211:Union
133:Built
607:ISBN
454:The
337:the
193:and
170:1865
136:1861
97:Type
792:of
1369::
690:.
632:.
438::
383:.
297:.
285:,
265:.
779:e
772:t
765:v
707:.
657:.
615:.
575:.
490:.
252:(
20:.
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