51:
246:, amongst others. A large signal tower was also constructed at the fort during this period. The location in the heights of North West D.C. was ideal for a signal tower, which likely would have relied on line-of-sight communications. Eventually the fort had a dozen heavy guns and a contingent of 3,000 men, making it the largest fort of those surrounding Washington.
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in 1862. The land on which it was built belonged to the estate of a
Treasury Department official named Giles Dyer. Dyer died in 1856, and his wife Jane administered the estate at the time of seizure for the fort. The Dyer farmhouse north of the fort was used by the Army as a headquarters building for
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The earthworks were finally destroyed in the 1890s, to construct a reservoir. Commemoration of the fort became a cause almost within a decade of the fort's closure, but would not be seriously pursued until the early 1900s. It would be a source of conflict the Reno community until the latter's
211:, however it is known that other regiments of McCall's division were engaged in its construction and that of other forts in the vicinity. At the time the structure was named Fort Pennsylvania and was only renamed Fort Reno in 1863 in honor of Major General
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likewise suggests the small community of
African American families in Reno arrived later. The town consisted of a handful of families and one church until the 1890s, as African Americans found jobs or themselves sought to live in the growing suburbs.
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310:," evidence for this theory is scant. Looking at other forts defending Washington, it is very likely African Americans worked as laborers, servants, or tradesmen supporting the large fort and garrison. In a report to
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In 1866, the fort was decommissioned and the land was returned to the Dyer family. The outbuildings and anything that could be sold was liquidated. Subsequently, the Dyer family subdivided the land as a town called
195:, in charge of the defenses of Washington, chose the highest point in the District of Columbia for the construction of a fort, with construction starting in earnest in August 1861 with the arrival of
238:
is popularly given credit for having "built the fort" in August and
October 1862, however, Fort Pennsylvania had been worked on prior to the 119th Pennsylvania's arrival by the regiments of
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Work on the fort was continued by the succession of regiments stationed at the
Tennallytown encampment after McCall's division moved to Langley on October 9, 1861. Of these regiments the
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various commands encamped in the area. The fortification occupied 20 acres of Dyer land and an additional 50 acres of Dyer's land were used for barracks, camps and a parade ground.
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Because of the town's roots in the Civil War and some oral histories, there has been a presumption that the original residents were so-called "
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neighborhood of
Washington, D.C. The fort sat on the highest natural point in the District of Columbia. Fort Reno played a part in the only
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242:'s Brigade (which were stationed at Tennallytown from October 1861 through to March 1862), the 59th New York and the 9th and 10th
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A closeup of an 1865 map of
Washington, D.C.'s defenses, showing the location of Fort Reno and other defenses to the northwest of
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274:). The Confederates attacked from the north in Maryland. The initial warnings came from Fort Reno lookouts spying movement by
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483:. Baltimore, Maryland: Rockbridge Publishing Company. pp. 127, 136–138, 145–150.
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Officially named in Army Order No. 18, issued by Gen. McClellan on
September 30, 1861.
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It was one of a string of forts circling
Washington to defend it against the
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1870 Census: Volume 1. The
Statistics of the Population of the United States
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Forts on the
National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
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Cooling III, Benjamin Franklin; Owen II, Walton H. (6 October 2009).
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Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington
278:. The attack itself was directed about 4 miles to the east across
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https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1872/dec/1870a.html
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Meigs, M. C. (1863) . Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
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American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places
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For the park that stands on the site of the former fort, see
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battle to take place in the District of Columbia, at the
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Tenleytown, D.C. — Country village to city neighborhood
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345:"D.C.'s Puny Peak Enough to Pump Up 'Highpointers'"
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16:American Civil War fort in Washington, D.C., U.S.
140:Earthwork fort and batteries; wood outbuildings.
254:The fort saw action on July 10–12, 1864, when
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191:In early August 1861, engineers under Major
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270:had depleted the Union defenses for his
258:sent 22,000 Confederates led by General
1178:1861 establishments in Washington, D.C.
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1163:Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
505:https://www.loc.gov/item/mss325400254/
481:Jubal Early's Raid on Washington 1864
389:. Scarecrow Press. pp. 155–163.
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290:", and resulted in a Union victory.
209:Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves
413:Neil Flanagan (November 2, 2017).
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1168:Forts in the District of Columbia
343:Dvorak, Petula (April 18, 2008).
167:was a major fortification of the
169:Civil War Defenses of Washington
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36:Civil War Defenses of Washington
608:Military District of Washington
598:Department of Washington, D.C.
323:clearance and conversion into
286:. The battle is known as "The
1:
613:Department of the Rappahanock
479:Cooling, Benjamin F. (1989).
455:"Signal tower Fort Reno D.C."
266:troops defending Washington (
171:, located in what is now the
618:Defenses of Washington, D.C.
1132:National Park Service (Web)
236:119th Pennsylvania Infantry
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536:National Park Service Site
516:U.S. Census Bureau (1870).
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603:Department of the Potomac
415:"The Battle of Fort Reno"
294:Closure and commemoration
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1158:American Civil War forts
623:Department of Washington
444:, Washington, DC. p. 116
217:Battle of South Mountain
205:The Utica Morning Herald
1188:Reno (Washington, D.C.)
1137:Map of defenses in 1865
890:Battery Alexander (MD)
593:Department of the East
288:Battle of Fort Stevens
244:Rhode Island Regiments
181:Battle of Fort Stevens
157:Battle of Fort Stevens
420:Washington City Paper
229:100-pound Parrott gun
201:Pennsylvania Reserves
935:Battery Martin Scott
676:Battery Rodgers (VA)
666:Fort Washington (MD)
915:Fort Mansfield (MD)
910:Battery Bailey (MD)
905:Battery Benson (MD)
642:Army of the Potomac
440:Helm, J. B., 1981,
350:The Washington Post
312:Montgomery C. Meigs
272:siege of Petersburg
82: /
1004:Northeast Quadrant
868:Northwest Quadrant
572:American Civil War
460:. 20 December 1863
262:against the 9,000
86:38.952°N 77.0759°W
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980:Battery Kingsbury
895:Fort Simmons (MD)
520:. Retrieved from
396:978-0-8108-6307-1
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43:Washington, D.C.
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1026:Fort Bunker Hill
885:Fort Sumner (MD)
809:Battery Garesche
749:Fort Tillinghast
704:Fort C. F. Smith
699:Fort Ethan Allen
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960:Battery Rossell
940:Battery Vermont
925:Battery Parrott
920:Battery Cameron
900:Fort Davis (MD)
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1114:Fort Carroll
1104:Fort Stanton
1069:Fort Chaplin
1041:Fort Lincoln
1021:Fort Slemmer
995:Fort Stevens
990:Battery Sill
985:Fort DeRussy
954:
859:Fort Willard
794:Fort Barnard
779:Fort Jackson
759:Fort Buffalo
744:Fort Whipple
709:Fort Bennett
517:
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462:. Retrieved
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424:. Retrieved
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354:. Retrieved
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297:
284:Fort Stevens
253:
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225:Confederates
222:
204:
190:
187:Construction
164:
163:
153:Battles/wars
102:Site history
1119:Fort Greble
1109:Fort Snyder
1094:Fort Wagner
1079:Fort Dupont
1036:Fort Thayer
1016:Fort Totten
1011:Fort Slocum
965:Fort Kearny
950:Fort Gaines
945:Fort Bayard
784:Fort Runyon
774:Fort Albany
764:Fort Ramsay
729:Fort Morton
714:Fort Strong
586:Departments
464:20 December
458:www.loc.gov
316:1870 Census
308:contrabands
122:In use
89: /
65:Coordinates
1152:Categories
1089:Fort Baker
1084:Fort Davis
1074:Fort Meigs
1064:Fort Mahan
824:Fort Worth
804:Fort Scott
799:Fort Berry
769:Fort Craig
694:Fort Marcy
659:Approaches
647:XXII Corps
633:Union Army
280:Rock Creek
250:Engagement
173:Tenleytown
148:Liquidated
77:77°04′33″W
74:38°57′07″N
57:Tenleytown
955:Fort Reno
849:Fort Weed
839:Fort Lyon
819:Fort Ward
739:Fort Cass
356:1 January
276:Rockville
177:Civil War
165:Fort Reno
137:Materials
29:Fort Reno
575:Defenses
34:Part of
657:Potomac
127: (
112: (
635:Forces
487:
426:May 2,
393:
197:McCall
331:Notes
264:Union
107:Built
485:ISBN
466:2018
428:2021
391:ISBN
358:2015
301:Reno
240:Peck
145:Fate
129:1866
125:1866
114:1861
110:1861
577:of
282:at
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
