Fort C.F. Smith Park

USA / Virginia / Arlington / 24th Street N., 2411
 park, fortification, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, interesting place, 1860s construction, historic district, American Civil War 1861-1865
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Fort C.F. Smith was constructed by Union Troops in early 1863. The fortification extended the line of Arlington forts to the Potomac River. Along with Forts Strong, Morton, and Woodbury, it functioned as part of the outer perimeter of defenses that protected the Aqueduct Bridge of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The fort was a lunette with a southern and western face and two flanks, and two bastions on the north side to protect it from attack up the ravines form the Potomac. The fort was entered from the east by a road that crossed Spout Run and proceeded up the hill to Fort Strong. To provide clear lines of fire for Fort C.F. Smith and adjacent forts, all of the trees for miles around were cut down. Many of the trees were used in construction of the forts and support structures.

Located east of the fort were the support buildings were the troops ate and slept. The structures including the barracks, mess halls, cook houses, officers quarters, and barn and a headquarters building. When the fort was decommissioned in 1865, the structures were removed and no visible evidence of their existence remains today.

The fort site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), where it is designated a historic district.
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Coordinates:   38°54'5"N   77°5'23"W

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  • Fun backcountry snowboarding in the offchance Arlington gets a significant amount of snow.
This article was last modified 4 years ago