Fort Stanton (Washington, D.C.)

Fort Stanton
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
Anacostia, District of Columbia
An ammunition magazine similar to those built at Fort Stanton.
Coordinates38°51′36″N 76°58′38″W / 38.86000°N 76.97722°W / 38.86000; -76.97722
TypeEarthwork fort
Site information
Controlled byNational Park Service
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionPublic park
Site history
BuiltFall 1861
Built byU.S. Army Corps of Engineers
In use1861–1866
MaterialsEarth, timber
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Garrison information
GarrisonHeavy Massachusetts Volunteer Artillery (131 men)

Fort Stanton was a Civil War-era fortification constructed in the hills above Anacostia in the District of Columbia, USA, and was intended to prevent Confederate artillery from threatening the Washington Navy Yard. It also guarded the approach to the bridge that connected Anacostia (then known as Uniontown) with Washington. Built in 1861, the fort was expanded throughout the war and was joined by two subsidiary forts: Fort Ricketts and Fort Snyder. Following the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, it was dismantled and the land returned to its original owner. It never saw combat. Abandoned after the war, the site of the fort was planned to be part of a grand "Fort Circle" park system encircling the city of Washington. Though this system of interconnected parks never was fully implemented, the site of the fort is today a park maintained by the National Park Service, and a historical marker stands near the fort's original location.[1]

  1. ^ Cultural Tourism DC. "Fort Stanton and the Washington Overlook" Archived October 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Culturaltourismdc.org. Accessed January 6, 2009.