Fort Woodbury was part of the

Arlington Line The Arlington Line was a series of fortifications that the Union Army erected in Alexandria County (now Arlington County), Virginia, to protect the City of Washington during the American Civil War (see Civil War Defenses of Washington and Washin ...

, an extensive network of fortifications erected in present-day

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

to protect

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from Confederate attack during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Construction began on the Arlington Line in May 1861, shortly after war broke out, and accelerated after the Union's defeat at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

in July 1861.

History

Fort Woodbury was a lunette with a 275-yard perimeter and 19 emplacements for 13 guns. It stood in what is today Arlington's Courthouse neighborhood, near the current Arlington County Courthouse and atop one of Arlington's highest hills. It was close to the current location of

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, ...

. The fort is named for Major D.P. Woodbury, the engineer who designed and constructed the Line. Woodbury Heights, a high-rise condominium built in the 1980s near the Fort Woodbury site, is also named for the fort. A historical marker memorializes the fort's location and is located at North Court House Road and 14th Street North. The marker's inscription reads: "Immediately behind the present Court House stood Fort Woodbury, a Iunette in the Arlington Line constructed in August 1861. It had a perimeter of 275 yards and 19 emplacements for 13 guns. It was named for Major D.P. Woodbury, the Engineer who designed and constructed the Arlington Line."

References

References/External Links

Arlington Historical Society - Arlington LineArlington Historical Society - Military-use structures
Virginia in the American Civil War Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia American Civil War forts in Virginia 1861 establishments in Virginia {{Virginia-stub