Fort Stanton (Washington, D.C.) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Stanton |
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| Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C. | |
| Anacostia, District of Columbia | |
An ammunition magazine similar to those built at Fort Stanton.
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| Coordinates | 38°51′36″N 76°58′38″W / 38.86000°N 76.97722°W |
| Type | Earthwork fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | National Park Service |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Public park |
| Site history | |
| Built | Fall 1861 |
| Built by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1861–1866 |
| Materials | Earth, timber |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Heavy Massachusetts Volunteer Artillery (131 men) |
Fort Stanton was a military fort built during the American Civil War (1861-1865). It was located in the hills above Anacostia, a part of District of Columbia, USA. The main goal of the fort was to stop Confederate cannons from attacking the Washington Navy Yard. It also protected the bridge connecting Anacostia (then called Uniontown) to Washington.
The fort was built in 1861 and grew bigger during the war. Two smaller forts, Fort Ricketts and Fort Snyder, were also built nearby to help protect it. Fort Stanton never saw any fighting. After the war ended, the fort was taken apart, and the land went back to its original owner. Today, the area where the fort stood is a park managed by the National Park Service. A historical marker shows where the fort once was.
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Why Was Fort Stanton Built?
Protecting Washington D.C.
When Virginia joined the Confederacy during the Civil War, Union troops moved into Arlington, Virginia. This was to stop Confederate soldiers from taking over Washington, D.C., the capital city. At first, forts were built along the Potomac River and near the main bridges connecting Virginia to Washington.
However, military leaders soon realized they needed more protection. They planned a huge ring of forts to defend the city from all directions. This work was stopped for a short time by the First Battle of Bull Run. After the Union army lost this battle, there was a rush to build defenses around Washington. People were worried about a Confederate attack.
General McClellan's Plan
On July 26, 1861, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan took command of the Washington military district. He was very concerned about the city's defenses. He said there was almost nothing to stop an enemy attack. He quickly ordered many more forts and trenches to be built. These new defenses would be strong enough to stop any attack.
One important area to protect was south of the Anacostia River in Maryland. If Confederate cannons were placed there, they could easily hit the Washington Navy Yard and the Washington Arsenal. These important military sites were located where the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers met.
To prevent this danger, Brig. Gen. John G. Barnard, the chief engineer for Washington's defenses, ordered a line of forts to be built. These forts would be on the high ground southeast of the Anacostia River. They were not meant to be a continuous wall, but rather strong points to keep Confederate artillery away. They would also give an early warning if an attack came from the southeast.
Building Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was the first fort in this new line to be built. Construction started in September 1861. The fort was placed almost directly south of the Washington Navy Yard. It was also near the Navy Yard Bridge, which connected Uniontown (Anacostia) to Washington. Work on the fort went very quickly. By Christmas of 1861, General Barnard reported that the fort was "completed and armed."
Building the fort was not easy. The area was heavily wooded, and the ground was uneven. This made choosing the exact spot for the fort difficult. Workers had to clear away many trees and bushes. This created clear areas for the fort's cannons to fire for hundreds of yards in every direction. This method of clearing land was later used for other forts, like Fort Stevens.
How Fort Stanton Operated During the War
Early Use and Improvements
By the summer of 1862, Fort Stanton was already being used a lot. Soldiers had been assigned to protect it during the winter. A report from 1862 described Fort Stanton as a "work of considerable dimensions, well built, and tolerably well armed." The report also suggested adding more protective structures and platforms for cannons.
The report also looked at two smaller forts that helped Fort Stanton:
- Fort Ricketts was a battery (a place for cannons) meant to cover a deep valley in front of Fort Stanton.
- Fort Snyder was like an outer defense for Fort Stanton. It guarded the top of another valley.
To help soldiers move between Fort Stanton and other forts, a military road was built. This road connected Uniontown to Fort Stanton. Over time, these roads became part of a large ring road that went around most of Washington's 37-mile border.
Garrison and Equipment
In 1864, an inspection found that Fort Stanton had good equipment but its soldiers needed more training. The fort had many types of cannons, including large 32-pounder guns, field howitzers, siege howitzers, and mortars. All the ammunition was in good condition. However, the 131 soldiers from the Heavy Massachusetts Volunteer Artillery who were stationed there were not well-trained in using artillery.
After the Confederate attack on Washington that led to the Battle of Fort Stevens, military leaders looked for weak spots in the city's defenses. Fort Stanton had grown a lot since it was first built. It now had two smaller forts, more rifle pits (trenches for soldiers), and the military ring road was finished. A report suggested adding more cannons to Fort Stanton to make it even stronger.
In August 1864, Lt. Col. Barton S. Alexander took over as chief engineer for Washington's defenses. Since the war was ending, his main job was to keep the existing forts in good shape and make small improvements. An October 1864 report listed several upgrades for Fort Stanton. These included building new bastions (parts of the fort that stick out), new ammunition storage areas, and improving the fort's walls and defenses.
What Happened to Fort Stanton After the War?
Closing Down the Fort
After Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia surrendered on April 9, 1865, there was no longer a main reason to have forts protecting Washington. At first, some forts, including Fort Stanton, were considered "first-class." This meant they should be kept active because they were important for defending the Washington Navy Yard.
Because it was a "first-class" fort, Fort Stanton continued to be maintained and had soldiers stationed there even after the war ended. More work was even done to make its defenses stronger. A wooden fence (stockade) was added in the summer of 1865. The fort's walls were also covered with fresh grass to make them look better and provide better grip.
However, military budgets were cut after the war. Even the important forts were seen as no longer needed. The cannons were removed, extra equipment was sold, and the land was given back to its original owners. Fort Stanton officially closed on March 20, 1866. After it closed, the fort was left to nature, and the woods quickly grew back over the land.
In 1873, a journalist named George Alfred Townsend wrote about the state of the forts. He described Fort Stanton as already looking old. He noted that parts of the fort had fallen apart, and some of its wooden structures had been taken for firewood by farmers. He found the underground rooms dark and damp, with mushrooms growing inside.
The Idea of Fort Circle Parks
Fort Stanton remained in poor condition until 1919. At that time, leaders in Washington D.C. wanted Congress to create a "Fort Circle" system of parks. This would be a green ring of parks around the growing city, owned by the government. The idea was to connect these parks with a "Fort Drive" road, so people could easily visit them. However, the bill to buy back the land (which had been returned to private owners) did not pass Congress.
Despite this setback, a similar bill passed in 1925. This bill created the National Capital Parks Commission (NCPC). The NCPC was allowed to start buying the land where the old forts stood. Records show that the site of Fort Stanton was bought for $56,000 in 1926. Over the years, the job of buying land and building the parks changed hands several times. Eventually, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service took control in the 1940s.
During the Great Depression, groups like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to improve and maintain the parks. At Fort Stanton, CCC members trimmed trees, cleared brush, and built park buildings. There were also ideas to build other things on the land, like a school or a water tower. However, World War II stopped these plans. After the war, budget cuts also delayed the building of the Fort Drive road.
By 1963, when President John F. Kennedy tried to get Congress to finally build the Fort Circle Drive, many people wondered if the plan was still useful. Washington D.C. had grown far beyond the ring of forts. City roads already connected the parks, even if not in a straight line. The plan to link Fort Stanton Park with other fort parks by a grand drive was eventually dropped.
Fort Stanton Park Today
Not all the land that was once Fort Stanton became public park land. In 1920, local African-American Catholics built Our Lady of Perpetual Help church on land that used to be part of the fort. Today, the church is still next to the park.
The Washington D.C. Department of Parks and the National Park Service now manage the 67 acres (27 ha) of park land where the fort once stood. D.C. authorities manage about 11 acres (4.5 ha) with a recreation center and ball fields. The National Park Service manages the rest, which is mostly wooded and contains the remains of forts Stanton and Ricketts. The area is also home to the Anacostia Community Museum, a Smithsonian Institution facility focused on the history of African-Americans.
