Fort Marcy (3)
Fort Marcy (3) (1861-186?) - A Union U.S. Civil War fort in Fairfax County, Virginia. Named for General Randolph B. Marcy, Chief of Staff for General George B. McClellan. Abandoned in 186?. Also known as Fort Baldy Smith after General W.F. Smith who's troops built the fort.
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Fort Marcy (3) History
Fort Marcy 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.
A Union earthworks fort established 24 Sep 1861 and armed with with 15 Parrott guns, 2 howitzers and three mortars. The fort had a perimeter 338 feet and three outlying gun batteries. The fort was established on the Virginia side of the Potomac River to guard the approaches to the Chain Bridge.
Abandoned at the end of the war and returned to the original owners, the Vanderwerken family who retained ownership until World War II.
Current Status
Fort Marcy Park, Fairfax County, Virginia. Administered by the National Park Service. Earthworks, rifle pits in relatively good condition with at least two display cannons. The park parking lot is accessible only from the northbound lane of George Washington Memorial Parkway and not the Southbound lane or Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road).
This park is where the body of Vince Foster was found on 20 Jul 1993, apparently a suicide victim. The body was found on the berm directly in front of the cannon shown below.
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Fort Marcy Display Cannon (site of Vince Foster's suicide) -
Fort Marcy and Outer Batteries Map from Park Sign -
Fort Marcy Earthworks -
Fort Marcy Earthworks
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1495558
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Location: Fort Marcy Park, Fairfax County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.9355556 Long: -77.1263889 |
See Also:
- Arlington Line - U.S. Civil War
- Washington DC Fort Ring
- Washington DC Defense System - U.S. Civil War
Sources:
- 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 814
Links:
Visited: 26 May 2013