Fort Kearny (Washington, D.C.)

This article is about the fort in the District of Columbia. For other locations, see Fort Kearny (disambiguation).
Fort Kearny
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
Tenleytown, District of Columbia
An ammunition magazine similar to those built at Fort Kearny.
Coordinates38°57′19″N 77°03′58″W / 38.955254°N 77.066098°W / 38.955254; -77.066098
TypeEarthwork fort
Site history
Built1862
Built by15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the United States Army Corps of Engineers
In use1862–1865
MaterialsEarth, timber
Demolished1866
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Garrison information
GarrisonTwo companies, 7th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment
A closeup of an 1865 map of Washington, D.C.'s defenses, showing the location of Fort Kearny to the northeast of Tenleytown.

Fort Kearny was a fort constructed during the American Civil War as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C. Located near Tenleytown, in the District of Columbia, it filled the gap between Fort Reno and Fort DeRussy north of the city of Washington. The fort was named in honor of Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny of the Union Army, who was killed at the Battle of Chantilly on September 1, 1862.[1] Three batteries of guns (Battery Rossell, Battery Terrill, and Battery Smead) supported the fort, and are considered part of the fort's defenses.

  1. ^ U.S., War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 70 Volumes (Washington, DC: The Government Printing Office, 1880-1901) I, 25, Part 2 (serial 40), 140-41