Fort DeRussy (Washington, D.C.)

Fort DeRussy
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
The site of the fort is currently overgrown
Fort DeRussy Show map of District of Columbia Fort DeRussy Show map of the US
Coordinates	38°57′46″N 77°03′02″W / 38.962667°N 77.050667°W / 38.962667; -77.050667
Type	Earthwork fort
Site information
Controlled by	Union Army
Condition	Park
Site history
Built	1861
Built by	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
In use	1861–1865
Materials	Earth, timber
Demolished	1865
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Fort DeRussy was an American Civil War-era fortification constructed in 1861 on a hilltop along the west bank of Rock Creek within Washington, D.C., as part of the defenses of the national capital.

History

The fort was named for Gustavus A. DeRussy, or his father, René Edward DeRussy. It was a trapezoidal earthwork with a perimeter of 190 yards, and places for 13 guns. There were also supporting rifle pits, and abatis in the Rock Creek streambed.^[1]

The fort provided support during the nearby Battle of Fort Stevens (July 11–12, 1864), contributing a large amount of cannon fire in the course of that battle; the fort's 100-pounder Parrott rifle was particularly effective then, getting off 32 rounds. Today, the grounds of the fort are administered by the U.S. National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park in the northern portion of the District of Columbia.^[2]

The fort's parapet and dry moat are in a good state of preservation, remnants of powder magazines are still visible, and lines of infantry trenches that protected the fort are still present near the fort.^[2]

The site, now heavily wooded, is easily reached by a trail from the west bank of the creek north of Military Road, so-called because it connected the ring of defensive installations around the capital.

References

↑ Cooling III, Benjamin Franklin; Owen II, Walton H. (6 October 2009). Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Scarecrow Press. pp. 164–172. ISBN 978-0-8108-6307-1.
1 2 "Civil War Defences of Washington: Fort DeRussy". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 22 October 2011.

American Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C.

Departments	Department of the East Department of Washington, D.C. Department of the Potomac Military District of Washington Department of the Rappahanock Defenses of Washington, D.C. Department of Washington

Union Army Forces	Army of the Potomac XXII Corps

Potomac Approaches	Fort Washington Fort Foote Battery Rodgers

Arlington Line	Fort Willard Fort O'Rourke Fort Weed Fort Farnsworth Fort Lyon Fort Ellsworth Fort Williams Fort Worth Fort Ward Battery Garesche Fort Reynolds Fort Barnard Fort Berry Fort Richardson Fort Albany Fort Scott Fort Runyon Fort Jackson Fort Craig Fort McPherson Fort Tillinghast Fort Cass Fort Whipple Fort Woodbury Fort Morton Fort Corcoran Fort Haggerty Fort Bennett Fort Strong Fort C. F. Smith Fort Munson Fort Ramsey Fort Buffalo Fort Taylor Fort Ethan Allen Fort Marcy

Northwest Quadrant	Battery Kemble Battery Vermont Battery Alexander Fort Sumner (MD) Fort Sumner (VA) Fort Mansfield Fort Gaines Fort Simmons Fort Bayard Fort Reno Fort Kearny Fort DeRussy Fort Stevens

Northeast Quadrant	Fort Slocum Fort Totten Fort Slemmer Fort Bunker Hill Fort Saratoga Fort Thayer Fort Lincoln Fort Mahan

Eastern Branch	Fort Chaplin Fort Meigs Fort Dupont Fort Saratoga Fort Davis Fort Baker Fort Wagner Fort Ricketts Fort Stanton Fort Snyder Fort Carroll Fort Greble

National Park Service (Web) Map of defenses in 1865

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