Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia)

This article is about the fort in Virginia. For the fort in Montana, see Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana).

Fort C. F. Smith Historic District
Part of the lunette's earthworks are on the right.
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia) is located in District of Columbia
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia)
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia) is located in Virginia
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia)
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia) is located in the United States
Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia)
Location2411 24th St., Arlington, Virginia
Coordinates38°54′4″N 77°5′28.3″W / 38.90111°N 77.091194°W / 38.90111; -77.091194
Area19 acres (7.7 ha)
Built1863
NRHP reference No.99001719[1]
VLR No.000-5079
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 1, 2000
Designated VLRSeptember 15, 1999[2]

Fort C.F. Smith was a lunette that the Union Army constructed in Alexandria County (now Arlington County), Virginia, during 1863 as part of the Civil War defenses of Washington (see Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War).[3][4][5][6] It was named in honor of General Charles Ferguson Smith, who died from a leg infection that was aggravated by dysentery on April 25, 1862.[7] Fort C. F. Smith connected the Potomac River to the Arlington Line, a row of fortifications south of Washington, D.C., that was intended to protect the capital of the United States from an invasion by the Confederate States Army.[4]

The Army built the lunette on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River and Spout Run. Because of its elevation and location, the lunette could protect the Aqueduct Bridge from invaders traveling along each of the two waterways.[4]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  3. ^ Cooling, pp. 115-122 Archived March 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine: Touring the Forts South of the Potomac: Protecting the Northern Flank of the Arlington Lines—Forts Strong and C.F. Smith: Fort C.F. Smith.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference VAnom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marker1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marker2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Mesch, Allen H. (July 14, 2015). Teacher of Civil War Generals: Major General Charles Ferguson Smith, Soldier and West Point Commandant. McFarland. ISBN 9780786498345. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018.