Fort DeRussy was an American Civil War-era fortification constructed in 1861 on a hilltop along the west bank of

Rock Creek Rock Creek or Rockcreek may refer to: Streams United States * Rock Creek (California) * Rock Creek (Fountain Creek tributary), Colorado * Rock Creek (Idaho) * Rock Creek (Kankakee River tributary), Illinois * Rock Creek (Wapsipinicon River tribut ...

within Washington, D.C., as part of the

Defenses of Washington The Civil War Defenses of Washington were a group of Union Army fortifications that protected the federal capital city, Washington, D.C., from invasion by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War (see Washington, D.C., in the ...

History

The fort was named for Gustavus A. DeRussy, or his father, René Edward DeRussy. It was a trapezoidal earthwork with a perimeter of 190 yards, and places for 13 guns. There were also supporting rifle pits, and abatis in the

streambed. The fort provided support during the nearby Battle of Fort Stevens (July 11–12, 1864), contributing a large amount of cannon fire in the course of that battle; the fort's 100-pounder Parrott rifle was particularly effective then, getting off 32 rounds. Today, the grounds of the fort are administered by the

U.S. National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properties ...

as part of Rock Creek Park in the northern portion of the

District of Columbia ) , 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 ...

. The fort's parapet and dry moat are in a good state of preservation, remnants of powder magazines are still visible, and lines of infantry trenches that protected the fort are still present near the fort. The site, heavily wooded, is easily reached by a trail from the west bank of the creek north of Military Road, so-called because it connected the ring of defensive installations around the capital.

External links

Fort DeRussy Cultural Landscapes Inventory
by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Forts around Washington, D.C. during the Civil War

References

Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C., DeRussy, Fort DeRussy DeRussy Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. 1861 establishments in Washington, D.C. American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Rock Creek Park Military installations established in 1861 1865 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Military installations closed in 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-stub