Fort Worth (2)

Fort Worth (2) (1861-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort first established in 1861 in present day Alexandria, Virginia. Named Fort Worth after Brevet Major General William Jenkins Worth. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. History of Fort Worth One of the ring of Union fortifications surrounding Washington DC during the U.S. Civil War, see Washington DC Fort Ring. Fort Worth was also one of 33 forts on the Virginia side of the Potomac River that made up an outer defense line for Washington DC known as the Arlington Line. Established in 1861 as an earthworks fortification on the site of a Fairfax family plantation known as Vaucluse. Construction was supervised by General Horatio G. Wright (Cullum 1060) and General John Newton (Cullum 1112). The Fairfax family mansion was destroyed by the fort construction. The fort mounted 28 guns with 3 vacant platforms enclosed in a 463 yard perimeter earthworks. A 17 May 1864 report from the Union Inspector of Artillery noted the following: "Fort Worth, Major Hubbard commanding.–Garrison, two companies Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery– 1 major, 1 ordnance-sergeant. Armament, two 20-pounder Parrotts, two 12- pounder Whitworth guns (rifled), five 12-pounder Napoleons, five 4_-inch ordnance, eight 24- pounder siege guns (smooth), two 100-pounder Parrotts, two 24-pounder Coehorn mortars, four 10-inch siege mortars. Magazines, dry and in serviceable condition. Ammunition, full supply and serviceable. Implements, complete and serviceable. Drill in artillery, fair. Drill in infantry, fair. Discipline, fair. Garrison is of sufficient strength." The fort was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Current Status No remains in Alexandria, Virginia. Site destroyed in 1970. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1492972 Location: Alexandria, City of Alexandria, Virginia. Map point is from GNIS and may not be accurate. Maps & Images Lat: 38.81472 Long: -77.09889 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 249' See Also: Arlington Line - U.S. Civil War Washington DC Fort Ring Washington DC Defense System - U.S. Civil War Sources: Cooling, Benjamin F. III and Owen, Valton H. II, Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington, Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 0810863073, ISBN 9780810863071, 334 pages. Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 801-802. Links: North American Forts - Fort Worth Wikipedia - Fort Worth Visited: No